In telecom infrastructure land, 2009 hasn’t exactly been pretty. We’ve sustained some blows to CapEx spending; dealt with layoffs; watched users shed their landlines; and realized all things mobile impacts all things related to our part of the telecom food chain.

But the future does hold some promise. Word on the street is that the “new recovery” (as Newsweek puts it) won’t work without you. And here’s why your management team needs network experts more than ever:*

• Video currently accounts for 50% of broadband traffic. In the next 5 years, video will account for 75% of that broadband traffic.

• Broadband and wireless penetration have doubled over the last 5 years.

• Video will account for 60% of mobile traffic in 4 to 5 years.

How do these facts appear to you? If you’re jazzed and ready to go, you don’t need my gift for this holiday season. If you’re stomach churns as you read them, I invite you to unwrap and embrace this simple little thought: (Yes, the gift is a quote. I’m an editor, for goodness sake!)

Character is revealed when no one’s looking.

How do you view the above facts when no one is looking? Do you look at any and all upcoming challenges with frustration and resentment because there are not enough hours in the day to get everything done, and you’re not earning more money, and you’re not appreciated, and blah, blah, blah?

If so, why not put that little gift to work for you and view those same challenges as opportunities that will reveal your true character.

What? My gift doesn’t seem to fit well for you right now? That’s okay. Please, go ahead and re-gift it to a colleague.

How will you know if he or she likes it? Just stop by and ask...after they’re promoted.

*Source: Ivan Seidenberg, CEO, Verizon, in an address to SUPERCOMM 2009.

Will anyone worth anything notice? You bet they will. But, more importantly, you’ll be proving something worthwhile to the most important person in your life: You.