Welcome!

First of all a word of gratitude to all those who provided feedback to the first edition of this monthly publication. We are still in the process of overcoming a number of growing pains, but your suggestions have provided us with fresh perspectives and the attentiveness toward accelerated improvement of Spirit Counts!

In edition 2 of this newsletter our focus will once again be directed toward the workplace. Times are tough everywhere, but definitely in the employment market. I just finished reading an article in the newspaper about newly graduated MBA's having to accept low-paid jobs, oftentimes not even connected with their area of specialty. Needless to say that this may serve as a discouraging factor to all those who thought that their prestigious degree would open an abundance of corporate doors for them.   

Reading this article brought to mind a passage from the management book I am using for business instruction at the University I am affiliated to. It's about the main prerequisite for workers in every workplace: Adapting to changing circumstances. The book uses the following metaphor to clarify the message: we should all perceive our careers like leaves of a shamrock, and each part of the leaf represents another job-situation we have to make ourselves comfortable with: Sometimes we will be fulltime workers, sometimes temps, sometimes part-timers. And it is essential for us, as long as we spin along in the ever-changing global work environment, to keep performing optimally in all settings presented to us.

It may seem to you that what you do for a living at the moment is a waste of your study years and your energy, but time teaches that we always use the skills once obtained in one setting or another. Yes, the market may look grim today, and it may be that you feel stuck in a job that you don't consider right. Just do the best you can while you're at it, establish good interpersonal relations with co-workers, and keep your eyes and ears open.

Opportunity will knock when you least expect it!

Joan F. Marques
Editor, Spirit Counts!