Quarter End

Yesterday was the end of the third quarter of the current year. My life revolves around quarter end.

When I was younger I thought about the passing of the year in terms of semesters and the Christmas, Easter, and Summer breaks. School, and the escape from its shackles, drove the cycle of the year. May 17 was a day in the second semester. July 2nd was during summer vacation. October 20th was about halfway through the first semester. Somewhere in my mid-twenties I stopped thinking about the year in terms of semesters. September became September and May became May.

Now, in my occupation, four days on the calendar jump at me. Every day of activity looks back to one or forward to another. March 31, June 30, September 30, December 31. Every communication with a client references one of these. These are the demarcation points that measure the success or failure of people in my business. We rise and fall in the esteem of our clients based on the results we delivered vs a benchmark during the most recent quarter and trailing year.

Every job is that way. We all have scorecards of some sort. Usually there is one key thing that our clients count on us to do, and do very well. If we get that right, every thing else seems to fall in to place. In my first job it was whether I got your newspaper on your doorstep by 6am. In my second job it was whether I got your groceries to your car without breaking your eggs. In my third job it was whether I could pump gas into your car without a spill and get you quickly on your way.  Now, my career is with a financial gymnasium where companies come for help in staying healthy and keeping future commitments. It's a good work and a challenging way of service.