2019 Reflections and Learning

I know I am late to the game on reflecting on 2019 with all of us 15 days into 2020. I wanted to take some extra time this year to really dig deep and gather my thoughts – 2019 was a massive year for change, challenge, success, failure, growth and most importantly learning.

I wanted to share some of my learnings, at least at a high level:

I am convinced that success is 10% what you know/offer and 90% relationships. Your authenticity, trustworthiness and attitude are your superpowers in this life.

It’s not about the time, it’s about the grind. How long you have been doing something doesn’t really matter, what matters is the real world, in depth, hands on specific experience. When hiring a person or company you need to dig into the details – what were the specific actions, activities, processes and outcomes. If they cannot connect the critical dots there is a high likelihood that they were a bit player and periphery piece in a much bigger orchestration.

Plan food when flying. Bring it, find it before or wait until after. Almost all plane food straight up sucks – selection, portion size, taste and nutrition all lacking.

Smile early and often. Positivity is infectious both for yourself and those around you. I have failed at this for so long, but intention and practice are helping and when done I see and feel the results.

Find your “Porto Mindset”. My business trip to Portugal early in ’19 had a profound impact on me. Not simply the European “work to live” attitude but the zest, appreciation, dedication and drive that our Portuguese team shows for their jobs, our clients and each other. I aspire to be and build teams like this.

This too shall pass. Facing adversity with a steady hand, being composed and focusing your energy on getting past the problem, communicating effectively and avoiding a repeat is damn hard but essential. Breathe deep and own the outcome.

Loyalty is rare, precious and should be protected. In my experience we take for granted those things closest to us that we know can be relied upon. Identify the people you trust implicitly, the ones you blindly rely on, the ones that deliver and thank them, recognize them, engage them. You need them and they need to know they are appreciated.

Business comes down to the execution of fundamentals. There are thousands of moving parts in a business – people, process and technology all actively working together to create outcomes. Within that complex orchestration though are fundamentals – key components or activities that truly drive your business. Identify them and make sure they are executed on as consistently and flawlessly as possible – inspect and measure ruthlessly. It doesn’t mean that everything else doesn’t matter but without the fundamentals nothing else is required to happen.

Delegate early and often. Time is fleeting and competes against necessary outcomes. Its tough to put your ego aside sometimes and let somebody else handle things. Maybe its not a hero complex, maybe its simply a personal belief in your own greatness – regardless of what prevents you from engaging others to complete tasks all you are really doing is preventing the completion, the progress. Allowing others to contribute saves time, grows teams and has positive impact all round.

Embrace failure. Yeah, its cliché but damn it is so true. Failure causes trauma, that trauma forces repair (evaluation, deep understanding, change). Repair leaves you smarter and less susceptible to repetition of the failure. Plus, the feeling of a win after the pain of a loss is so sweet.

Pick your horses and stick with them. This is true in so many senses. Choose your airline and hotel chain of choice – priority creates flexibility when travelling often. Choose your “lieutenants” – you cannot be everywhere, and your message needs to be echoed by others who aren’t you. Take a stance, make a decision, own it.

Keep it simple. In an attempt to solve problems, we have a tendency to make solutions overly complex and mechanical. Backwards engineering a problem to outcome journey by humanizing what drives the consumer both logically AND emotionally gives you insight into the simple elements that are required to attain a result. Know your buyer, cater to their needs, provide clarity and value.

Family and Friends are everything. I am guilty of getting lost in my work, I admit it, I love what I do and am fortunate to have many friends in my work life. When I think of what truly drives me to work so hard, what brings me the most joy and where I long to be it always comes back to the people I love. Make time for them, engage fully and never take them for granted.

Best of luck in all you do in 2020.