Damages

Scoring a point, winning an argument, having it your way.

They might all seem like great things, except the damages they make are often greater than the satisfaction they bring.

If you find this difficult to grasp, think back at the last time you failed to score a point, you lost an argument, you did not have it your way.

What you felt back then is the same your counterpart is feeling today. And you know for a fact, it is not a feeling that it is easy to shake off, not a sentiment on which it is possible to build a strong relationship.

And so I guess the question would be: is it worth it?

Personal

When you start thinking that somebody has done something to hurt you, offend you or cut you off, do two things.

Take a break.

Reach out and have a conversation.

Share it

If you have knowledge, share it.

If you have an idea, share it.

If you have a project, share it.

If you learned something, share it.

If you plan something, share it.

If you have a purpose, share it.

If you have experience, share it.

It is the best way to broaden your perspective and actually get things done.

What might be

If you only look at what was and what is to shape what might be, things are going to be extremely difficult.

At any point in time, the market is cluttered. It is challenging to compete with incumbents, new players, alternatives, and outsiders. If you want to excel, it is going to be an uphill battle, on many fronts, and more often than we care to admit we do not have a good enough product or service to win this.

If we take a look at the future from any point in time, instead, a wealth of possibilities open up. Among those is the market that is not cluttered now, but will be soon enough.

That is where you want to be.

Pull the plug

If you have a hunch something is not working, pull the plug on it.

And actually, we should regularly pull the plug on the things that take most of our time, and see which ones we are truly going to miss.

This is clearly really applicable when it comes to marketing tactics. If there is something you consistently put your budget behind, pull the plug on it for one month. What happens? When the impact on key metrics is zero (or close to it), you have a great candidate for costs savings.

Who knows where programmatic advertising would be if more companies would regularly pull the plug.