One of the main challenges of the U.S. economy is mind-set. As trade borders become seamless and the world becomes more dependent on technology, U.S. companies and their executives must scramble to acquire the tools and skills necessary to survive and thrive in the increasingly competitive global market.

I recently attended a Chicago Council on Global Affairs event where Thomas L. Friedman discussed his book, That Used to Be Us (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2011). According to Friedman and co-author Michael Mandelbaum, America is in trouble. Globalization, the information technology revolution, chronic deficits, and the nation’s excessive energy consumption are all major challenges facing the country today. Moreover, the current political factionalism in Washington has undermined the United States’ ability to tackle these dilemmas and further threatens the country’s position as a global leader.

Is that all? And what else?

What stands in our way to succeed is mind-set. The basic reason for our nation lagging behind and suffering from a negative recovery, and a much slower one than other nations, is our own unwillingness to play in the sandbox with the other nations in this new economic order.

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