When I woke up this morning, I found a Seth Godin email in my inbox. It really hit home, so I wanted to share it with you. Seth got it right. Seth’s metaphor of Following in the footsteps of those that came before us is more relevant today than ever.
I know we are all getting shelled with emails right now. That is the only way most businesses have to get in front of their prospects. Many almost read desperate, as I am sure their revenue has dried up.
beLithe is just like every other business in the world right now. Our road forward is not clear. To date, we have relied on personal relationships as our main means of finding business. Many of those personal relationships have been forged over the years. My preferred method of maintaining relationships has been in-person face-to-face.
To say the least, it’s been hard to try to build new relationships in the last two months. Everyone’s platform is burning right now. As if there weren’t enough challenges, not only did the way we interact change. The business model for the Agile space appears to be changing moving away from in-person to on-demand. Training workshops are now virtual. Daily Scrum meetings are virtual. PI Planning events are virtual.
It would seem that we are going to be primarily interacting from a distance for a while. At least six feet, but potentially much more.
So far, we have been lucky. It looks as though beLithe will make it through this phase. Somewhat battered, but still alive.
What prompted all of this? Probably some relief on my part. It’s been somewhat tense lately.
Here’s the body of Seth’s email that I found in my inbox this morning. It really hit home, so I wanted to share it with you.
From: Seth Godin
To: Christopher Daily
Following in the footsteps of those that came before
No matter how hard you try, you can’t.
After just a few steps, you’ll be slightly enlarging the footprint. By the time six people have done it, the original is completely gone.
Footprints might be a fine compass, but they’re not much of a map. That’s on us.
I’m not a marketing guy, but Seth’s blog posts often contain a lot of wisdom for all of us.
Our path is ours and it is unique. We can try to imitate those who we aspire to be like, but at the end of the day, our path is our own. Especially in today’s world.
All the “experts” out there are trying to figure out what to do as well. We are in unprecedented times right now. The “experts” haven’t been through this before either. Nobody can predict what is going to happen next. Mother nature, in the form of Covid-19, doesn’t care about unemployment, profits, or how we feel. Covid-19 only cares about surviving. More changes are in store for us.
Following in the footsteps of others is the easiest way forward. With each step, look around. Be sure you are surveying the landscape. It can and will change. As we strive for the New Normal remember: Following in the footsteps of others isn’t helpful if they are wandering aimlessly.
Remember that your path is your own.
We will beat this virus. Have no fears about that. Life will return to a New Normal. I can tell you I won’t be shaking hands for a while, but we will be able to wander out of our bunkers like we used to.
What is challenging and stressful today will be commonplace soon. The one thing you should count on is that change is going to be with us for a long time until we get this virus beat.
Chris
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