By Jean Hollands

Jean on the Job

We are supposed to do business as usual this week. Our president asked us to. But there is no business. Restaurants are not crowded, companies want no coaching, travelers do not want to travel, people don’t want to buy things, fix things or exchange things. We seem to be in a bit of a stupor, paralyzed by the devastation, the ambiguity of the enemy and the new, cold war of terrorism.

Good news. We can’t go on like this. We are energetic, ambitious and interested in the commerce of life. By next week we will probably be in full gear again. The times are rough, though, for small businesses, large businesses, educational institutions, insurance companies and even theater. We in this valley had faced financial downturns and now we face the end of our innocence again.

How many times do we have to face the end of innocence? Well, I guess some of us have not experienced the death of President Kennedy, Pearl Harbor or the other moments in time that have stopped the clocks of our existence. This one, though, is our most serious, most deadly, most surprising, most vicious, and most far-reaching.

We are a nimble and hardy country, community and valley. We will get back to business. Give us a minute. Give us a minute to sigh, reach down inside again and face tomorrow.

Jean A. Hollands, CEO, Growth & Leadership Center, author of a new book,” Same Game Different Rules - How to Get Ahead Without Being a Bully Broad, Ice Queen or ‘Ms. Understood’” was voted Business Woman of the Year in 1986 and 1996. Write to GLC, 1451 Grant Road, Mountain View, 94040.