StatusIreland

As the Unions position their members for some cold nights outside it’s sure to be a tough time for businesses, workers and the government over the next few months.

Looking at the figures for the first half of this year however and compared to the previous years it seems that things are might not be as tough as the were in the 80’s and 90’s. It seems also that there are many people willing to strike but not for long. It is working out as just over an hour for each person in the first half of 2009. Compare that to 2008 where the average per worker was nearly 12 hours.

The second half of 2009, particularly the last few months, may help to level these figures out. Time will tell.

Jobs, ireland 2009, government, industrial action, siptu, strike, Unions

Developing a culture of enthusiasm, a culture where strong values are put into practise from the bottom up & to have this culture infect the hearts and minds of everyone in Ireland is the key to building a successful country. This is a country in which everyone can win.

If you look at any successful business there are only a few key elements that drive that success. No matter how big an organisation it will always need a core from which leadership emanates. Leadership is not about fire fighting. It is not about doing the little day to day tasks. It is about developing the culture of a business. Bad leadership will lead to bad management and the effects will fizzle down through the ranks. In the end you will have a bad organisation. Good organisations, good businesses always have good leadership. There is never an exception.

Good leaders will often create good mission statements. This is not a statement of what they want; this is a statement of what the organisation wants. Much time will be spent creating the mission statement and everyone in the organisation will have a hand in developing it. In the end there will be a nucleus for the organisation which sets the values and goals. It gives balance, it sets a company ethos, it gives purpose for every member of that organisation because they will have created it and therefore they are committed to its success.

Merge these elements, a strong leadership core, a company mission statement and a workforce committed to the company ethos. Now you have the framework on which you can build a successful business. You have all the soldiers aligned and even in the darkest days your company is ok because you are in control. Everyone is together and everyone will push forward in one motion.

Juxtapose these structural ideas with that of any countries structure and you can see how easily they align and make sense. The US for a long time been the most powerful country in the world and it is worth taking note of the elements that give success to that country and also that which diminishes it. Strong leadership is such a major key to the success of that country and this has never been as obvious as now when we see new leadership providing new hope. The US constitution is their mission statement and it is a statement which every American is proud to commit to and work by. The populace are motivated by it and understand that it can provide the dream that each and every one has searched for.

Other countries have learned from America and are trying to create this structure or more importantly a structure that suits best and what the population want. We in Ireland need to have this. We need to run this country like a successful business. We need leaders who can lead and we need the population to want success for everyone. Perhaps we do have a strong leader, he has shown strong willingness to listen and understand what people want. He has yet to show strong vision. He has yet to make the people understand his ideas. This 2-way process whereby he understands the needs of the country and the country understand his and the governments needs as a leader is a journey yet to be completed.

In summary, we can succeed as a nation but we must clarify where we want to go. Our goals will be set to keep us on the right road. The engine in this is our government.

Jobs, ireland business, Goals, government, ireland, leadership, USA

The killings of 2 polish men in Drimnagh, back in February 2008, by teenagers was the first major tear to appear in the social fabric of Ireland since the end of the Celtic Tiger. Today it appears that the shooting dead of a 50 year old man in the East Wall area of Dublin by teenagers as young as 13 is further evidence that the problem is growing.

The growing anti-social problems are not just confined to Dublin but attention is surely going to focus on the black spots of the city, of which there are many.

If we as a nation are ever to address this problem then this is the best time to start. As the economy contracts, jobs are lost and people are more willing to act tough and are more likely to support stern government actions. These actions, however, must not be to simply follow other countries such as the UK and allow the government to look as if they are doing something. The long process must begin by looking at our own country first and seeing what model best suits us.

Society is always driven by the majority and the majority of Irish people are strong and morally grounded, it is our unique strength that separates us from other countries, this is the strength we must draw on in order to preserve our society.

ireland anti-social, crime, dublin, government, ireland, murder, teenagers