I know some things, more than some less than others, having lived on the edge for 20 years.
One thing is true, among many, and that is idea that you get more out of people, and more bang for your buck by expecting less, not pushing for more, all the time. Like a car hitting a corner and strategically slowing into the curve only to accelerate as physics allows, deceleration actually produces better results than the pedal to the metal syndrome. Which is a tough trick to stick because to modulate the effort and production without tempering the vision or goals can seem to the uninitiated to be working at cross purposes.
I wrote a published article about it last year -
Another thing I know is our little business niche is a niche that has continued to give through good and bad times, through healthy times, through virus times, for 2 decades now. This New Yorker thing we have, that narrow lane of folks who believe what we offer is cool and has value, has been a tree we have picked fruitfully for nearly 20 years. Rarely is a niche so resilient - typically the story would be, sooner or later, the niche would hiccup and fail to deliver, and then all the commentary on our failure would be 'too many eggs in one basket' type of things. But so far so good.
Another thing I know is how fortunate I feel that our school district successfully held in-person classes for the entire fall school year, which was a gigantic relief since many schools didn't even try, and I think it's safe to say it's becoming abundantly clear how detrimental zoom schooling is to a wide range of kids.
Another thing I know is how grateful we are that my 76 yr old mother got covid and survived without a whole lot of trouble, though it was worrisome nonetheless.
Another thing I know is few things tested my metal more than the assorted trials of 2020, and my ability to steer my corporate ship through the typhoons of turbulence. Day by day planning, see and decide, act and execute, clear-eyed even when sight distance is narrow and limited. The pandemic was tough enough, but as I've written, we had some real black swans like a 2x4 alongside the head at really the worst times. Head down, rise early, solve each problem with a step by step process of inching along, jumping, inching some more, leaping, repeat.
Back in the day, I used to complete these tests not knowing how absurdly difficult they were, and how unprepared and unarmed I was for them. At least now I know when I'm doing something pretty damn hard. And when I notice it's a hard task, you know it's a hard task.
We have an amazing team of 11, all cross talented, eager to help, and committed to the effort. It's not an easy thing to accomplish, but accomplish it I did.
Merry Christmas -
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