Frank Maguire is the cofounder of FedEx, and this article reports on a recent speech he gave about passion, success, and the determination to make things work. Among his comments was this statement.
"There's a light in each one of you and it's bigger than you ever thought and it's on your side," he said. "Turn on your light. You can do it, regardless of your circumstances."
Maguire's comments apply equally well to communities. We are in a period of rapid and often troubling change, fraught with both peril and opportunity. Our communities face a variety of challenges, and I think that the communities that want to be around in twenty, or thirty, or fifty years need the kind of passion, devotion, and commitment that Maguire says made the difference in his life. Particularly in economic development, it's not enough to be mediocre.
That worked when the competition was the mediocre county next door, but when the competition is from communities, provinces, and countries across the globe, mediocre is not good enough. Communities need to find their passion, hire the best people they can find, and stick to it until they are successful.