Life Lesson

Even if it’s half-assed.

Even if it’s at the end of the day.

Even if it’s not exactly how you wanted to do it.

It really doesn’t matter what followed the “even if” …

What matters is that we do it. Drip by drip.

Tomorrow is another day to try to get to do it better than today.

But at least we can go to sleep knowing we did it today.

By all means, if you can full-ass it, do it.

But half is better than none.

Stay Positive & Drip By Drip By Drip (No Matter The Size Of The Drip)

At the agency I was at, there wasn’t any slack. No options to input my .25 into ideation or connecting with a coworker or trying something new – the immeasurable. Sure there was a catchall bucket, but they tried measuring that and there was a limit on how much was permitted.

A little slack goes a long way and it’s best we recognize it and offer it when possible.

Beverage distributors can measure and track every element of a sales reps day, but it behooves them to leave an hour not to scrutinize. If the rep wants to use it to have work life blend or to chat longer with an account or go out and sample a competitor – so be it. It’ll add to the longevity of their tenure.

The scenarios are endless of course. Heck, there’s even some slack in part of the story of the novel I’m writing; offering freedom for mental exploration by the reader.

Give others slack when possible, of course. But give yourself some slack, too.

Stay Positive & Forward Faster

I had an incredibly nice customer service rep when I called a national appliance store. One of the nicest I’ve spoken to when calling about an issue (not just with this specific business).

Without her taking the right actions to correct the issue with the appliance and delivery, niceness wouldn’t have mattered. In fact, her tone would have been more aggravating than not.

Niceness can’t make up for bad decisions, but it does make right ones way more right.

Stay Positive & Thankfully Niceness Is In Our Control

The faster you can see it their way, the quicker you can empathize and help.

The quicker you can see it their way, the faster you can stop judging or being frustrated at them.

One watch-out -for, though; seeing it their way with speed does not permit us to be angrier at them for not seeing it our way.

Their speed isn’t the point. Ours is.

Stay Positive & Vroom Vroom

Two challenges when you’re considering trade offs.

The first is the actual gain of the trade off. This is easy-ish to evaluate, regardless if we like the result or not.

The second is evaluating if the tradeoff is even necessary. Can there be changes made so there’s no need for a tradeoff? This is the hard thing to do.

We all have a bit more time, bit more energy, bit more help if we wanted it.

The challenge is answering and owning if we do want it or not.

Stay Positive & Trade Off Costs Are Only As Real As We Make Them

I’m at another conference. This one is about the beverage industry. And there’s a recurring thread through every single panel, Q&A, and thought leadership session.

It’s the simplest message, really. One that they talk about when things go right and one they talk about when things go wrong.

It’s what they all go back to after describing a story, a narrative, a partnership, or consumer research.

Communication.

And not just any kind of communication. Proactive. One that makes someone feel that you give a damn about a shared goal.

The cool part is there’s no skillshare, masterclass, or certification for it. It’s inherent to our humanity. We simply need to do more of it and all that is is a choice.

Stay Positive & There’s No Such Thing As Overcommunication

There’s no data revolution because we’ve been into data since the beginning.

Think about the track meet numbers: who placed, what time they had. Or, if you’re me, how far did I make it on the long jump compared to others.

Everyone likes numbers. But not every number is liked.

The problem isn’t the data or lack thereof; it’s the connection to the data.

Our job is to leverage the data in a way that is attractive to others; resonates with them; tells a story they actually care about.

Anyone can be a data guru if they care about the data enough.

Stay Positive & Getting Them To Care Is On Us

HT to Malcolm Gladwell’s masterclass for the idea of this post