I just finished reading The Martian by Andy Weir which is also a recently released and Academy Award-nominated movie starring Matt Damon. The Martian is about Astronaut Mark Watney who is presumed dead and left behind on Mars during an aborted exploration mission. He spends his time trying to survive on meager supplies and reestablish communication with Earth. For the most part, he is alone and must rely almost solely on his own resourcefulness.
While reading The Martian, it struck me that you, my clients, aren’t that different from Astronaut Mark Watney. He had a lot going for him. He was resourceful and adaptable. When things didn’t go according to plan he made changes and improvised. He didn’t give up when things went awry. He didn’t sulk when he failed. He, instead, focused on what he had learned and he carried on. These characteristics describe every successful entrepreneur I’ve ever met.
Portrayal of entrepreneurs in the media focuses almost exclusively on the success. In hindsight, the path looks straight-forward, but, in reality, the road took many turns, and obstacles that presented themselves had to be overcome. It would have been less daunting for Astronaut Mark Watney if Mars had an atmosphere, moderate temperatures and edible plants just as it would have been nice if you had unlimited resources and no obstacles to overcome. But, Mars doesn’t and you don’t.
Astronaut Mark Watney wasn’t entirely alone, however. Once he was able to reestablish communication with Earth he had NASA. Without NASA’s help, he would never have survived. NASA helped him in a variety of ways, including trying out and testing complicated equipment modifications on Earth before instructing him how to make them on Mars.
This is how I see my role as your employee benefits and human resources advisor. It is my responsibility to think ahead and guide you accordingly. Employee benefits is undergoing a sea of change and new compliance requirements are creating further burdens on your company. At the same time, new technologies are changing how we manage the employee lifecycle, employee benefits and these new compliance burdens.
It is my responsibility to help you navigate this changing environment. It is my responsibility to see what lies ahead, to help you chart a course, and to help you make the most of your resources so that you can focus on what you do best: run your business. I’m not NASA but I have the same commitment to you as NASA did to Astronaut Mark Watney, and I have the knowledge and skills to help you.
If you want to learn more about how I can help your company call me at (952) 237-6956 or e-mail me at mdmowski@comprehensivebenefitservices.com.
