Politics-Business August 12

Politics and business

New Moon
August 12, 2007 7:02:24 pm EDT
Ypsilanti, MI USA

Effective until full moon (eclipse) August 28, 2007


The People

The next couple of weeks represent a time of investigation and inquiry for the people of Washtenaw county and surrounding districts. A private “witch hunt” for personal accountability over issues of mistrust. This is not likely to be a very public affair, but rather an act of subterfuge, a whispering in the corners and dark places, a discussion between friends over breakfast, phone calls held in private, a lot of mischief centered around people and personalities.

Folks will be centering their attention on the faults of another, holding the other to a ridiculously high standard, as a way of subconsciously deflectging attention away from their own inadequacies.

This is the time when the next major rumor and gossip campaign will start, and it can be very damaging to those who are at the center of the attention.

The Leaders

The period of heightened opposition is still upon us, however the tide is slowly turning. The opposition is going quiet, (though it is still very present) and there is a sense of growing support from families and from the more conservative elements of the community, however capitalizing on that support will take some clever planning.

There are two ways a leader can approach the current situation. He (or she) can either believe that the population are ignorant (or worse, deluded) and “stay the course”, or she (or he) can embrace the “group think” of the people and meld it into the plans for the future.

The gut instinct of the leader may well be to stay the course, the quitening of the opposition giving her or him a false sense of security in the status quo. The silence of the opposition does not mean it has gone home, just that it is working on a more devastating campaign. Intransigence under a very strong Jupiter is a great way to make a spectacular flop.

To alienate families and the conservative element at this time will be to create a greater problem later. It is possible, even probable, that there is common ground to be had there, however it requires flexibility and canny negotiation to bring it out.

Business

The cunning businessperson will be the master of the “gosh its awful” conversations that will dominate popular discussion over the next couple of weeks. Nodding sagely and agreeing with the harsh judgments pronounced by your clients will hold you in good stead. It too shall pass.

Steady success, and the look of success, will bring you a lot more business than any glossy campaign or fancy advertising over the next two weeks. Basically, the people are in a mood to kvetch, therefore you need to rely on non-verbal means for exciting the public mind. Looking better than your opposition is a great way to get ahead. Drawing too much attention to yourself, however, is likely to make you a target. The emphasis has to be on stability and success rather than on pizzazz.

Cash flow is likely to be erratic, and high-pressure sales will cause more problems than it can solve over these couple of weeks. Meeting people where they think they are at will get you a lot further.

I hope the new format is more useful to you all.

Take Care

Rod