The Difference We Make
After a two-week hiatus — we returned to the office Monday.
Unplugged ✔︎
Time with family ✔︎
Exercise and 9000 steps a day with the dog ✔︎
Reading and reflection ✔︎
Dry January?
And then it was back to honing org structures, finalizing budgets, onboarding new staff, planning for a sales kick-off, completing team reviews, completing territory/client assignments, issuing quotas, comp and commission plans, bonus plans, and the general work associated with launching a new year.
For us it also means ensuring a relevant, compelling, hard-hitting research agenda and working backwards from the most important trends and issue shaping an industry and ensuring clients understand Where to Play and How to Win. More on that in the coming weeks.
But against this backdrop we are mourning the loss of Jimmy Carter, bracing ourselves for a new, (yet v2) President, watching leadership changes in Canada, laying witness to the continuation of two wars, and watching big tech reverse itself via political donations, a relaxation on content moderation, etc. And now devastating fires in Los Angeles.
I wrote this note to our team earlier in the week and I’m sharing it with you.
Team. A moment of silence today please for remembering Jimmy Carter who has had impact on issues around the globe and set the standard for what public service stands for.
I think about individuals like him or the late Queen of England who exemplified whether by choice or by birth what a lifetime of contribution looks like. They inspire.
And please send prayers to those devastated by unimaginable fires in LA right now. There are many issues around the world. We can’t serve them all, but they can matter to us. I ask you each to consider the causes that matter to you. One of the reasons we have flexible hours is so you can donate time to the causes you care about.
In the grand scheme remember it’s about family, service, and not the things we have or the money we make. The work we do has a purpose. It is a means to spending more time with those we love and doing good work for those who benefit. We are all blessed with many luxuries so please take time today to reflect on what matters in life especially as we come off such a blessed time off and start a new year.
Annalisa, please make another donation to World Central Kitchen from Outsell. Jose and his team will no doubt be in LA soon. A small something we can do to support them just as we did after Napa Fires, Maui, Ashville, and Gaza.
Have a lovely day team. Thank you for the pleasure and privilege of being part of our small but great company. See you soon.
And so I say to you — amidst all the noise, social media, the day-to-day demands of running a company, serving customers, launching a new year that a) I hope you gave your team a break over the holidays so they too could come back refreshed, b) please encourage them to work to live rather than live to work and c) let’s all focus on what matters — our families and friends, the services we provide, the differences we make.
My very best to you and yours this 2025.