“Hey Trump, It’s working…”
Here’s the good news; there’s just over 50 weeks left in 2017.
Recent US jobs data was pretty solid with some interesting data from the internals, and wage growth is steady; the Generation Y stats show they are taking up more and more of the workforce as the baby boom passes the baton. This should be positive for margins and productivity.
Mr Trump continues his use of Twitter, which we might be best served simply accepting as part of the new normal, I suppose. And while many bears will seek to tell us scary things about Trump - like he can start a nuclear war with Twitter – they’re probably very unlikely.
Another possible insight?
Let's cut through all the media garbage for a moment and take in a few facts.
Prior to Trump’s start in politics he built buildings.
Now, anyone who has succeeded in completing a large, complex construction project will tell you in can be a true battle; contracts, sub-contracts, pricing, bidding, cheating, counting, ordering and making sure each piece goes in the right order and is bolted to the proper beam.
I’m certain it can be a real mind-bender at times.
But the simpler truth of it is that much of those dealings can be nasty.
Imagine for a moment, you are speaking to a guy who you want to buy 5,500 premium doors from for one building. If you happen to be a person who can be rough and is accustom to having these conversations each day, you can imagine the frank negativity when negotiating prices.
Further, if you happen to be negotiating concrete, fines, penalties, fees, "extras," licensing delays, etc., etc., you may have learned that being tough gets you what you want in the end…even if some of the sparring is just extra.
You may also have learned that you can be tough in certain parts of the conversation only to position the person you are negotiating with to provide you what you really wanted after all.
In other words, it’s just a part of the deal. It does not make it right or wrong or good or bad. It is just a process.
And hey, it’s working right?