Relationships Matter
So, in over the transom came this on Monday morning on top of an email I wrote in January 2008:
Hi Anthea, long time since we’ve spoken. I wanted to thank you for providing the newsletter all these years. I’ve used it to keep up on the industry (really industries) in my retirement. For several years after the sale of ABC Co., I was consulting and then I just wanted to keep up with what’s going on.
Alas, the world has really moved on and the people and companies I knew along with their business models barely appear. Almost seven years out of the business and I’ve finally come to terms with retirement. Before I unsubscribe, I wanted to thank you and Outsell for years of helpful intelligence while I was working and after. The quality of Outsell’s content has been a constant on the roiling waters of the business. I wish you and Outsell well.
Warm regards,
Joe S (name changed)
Wow. There are things that make our day around here and this is one of them. I forwarded it to several of our team members who have been here long enough to remember Joe, along with a reply to him thanking him for the daymaker. Moreso for the pleasure and privilege of having coffee with him each morning over our daily Outsell Headlines. And to think he had my email from 2008 sending congrats for his new appointment as CEO of an industry leading firm. Two CEOs later, we are still in touch with that firm’s leader, too.
I was reflecting on these changes as his email landed on a day in the middle of our CEO Council meeting series on AI. We call it “OLC Season” because our 150 leaders meet in winter and spring and at our annual event in October to discuss business issues, solve problems, and address the topic of the season which has given way from RTO to AI. Another acronym now is at the forefront of our lexicon.
And while we know another sea change is upon us and companies will be impacted, we discussed some of the fundamentals that are perennial in our industry:
• Owning good data and quality content
• Protecting that IP as best we can and using licensing and standards where we can.
• Good consideration for the channels that are legitimate and good for our businesses
• Using good fundamentals, such as product management and workflow solutions, to solve real business problems and using AI in that context — needs and value
• And reminding the tech enablers or young startups who think we are standing by to give data away that their naïveté proceeds then. Remember Watson anyone?
And so, the more things change, the more they stay the same. We have seen this movie play out since the CD-ROM. Then, the Web. Search, mobile, social. Now, the next wave: AI. Quality insight still matters — one could argue more than ever — given so much disinformation.
In this context, I like to think that relationships still matter too. I remain old fashioned in that regard. Sure, the right content has to be there, in the right form, at the right time. That, and quality, are a given. I’m simply reminded again this morning that it’s the way we treat people and our values on top of that, that is the legacy we will ultimately leave. Thank you, Joe, for that gentle reminder.