It’s somewhat cathartic to write that out, read what I wrote, and realize how unimaginably silly some people are for being so lackadaisical about decision-making. But hey, who am I to judge? Plus, it’s a bit more eye-catching than my originally planned title. For the (imaginary) record, this has absolutely nothing to do with the rest of my post but it’s very top of mind and, given the context for me, pisses me off greatly. Don’t be that person.
Normally, I’d do a full-blown “year in review” write-up for the first post of the year but I’m not really feeling that this time around, so I’ll keep it short and sweet. And by “normally” I mean that’s what I did last year. 2024 was a “good, not great” year overall. Great progress on some strategic initiatives, acceptable progress on others, and good performance in sales. Overall? Progress was made with some important foundation-building for 2025 and beyond. And that’s 2024 in a nutshell.
Now, for 2025, I’ve got one big (personal and professional) goal: iterative improvement. With the desired result being differentiation, a consistently remarkable experience, and a focus on experimentation over perfection. Growth being the (obvious) underlying driver here. I’ve seen all too many times when (continued) growth is a priority, the ends start to justify the means, and the marketing, customer experience, and sales start to feel…..stuck and suffer as a result. Not only do I not want that, I can’t have that. I wouldn’t be able to stand it.
Iterate, review, and implement. Iterate, review, and implement. This will be a constant refrain from me in 2025. I guess, in a way, I lied earlier. My title had everything to do with the rest of the blog. I’ll be “shooting” first and asking questions later a lot this year. Or maybe I’ll be more asking questions first, shooting later, and then repeating? I don’t know. Either way, the means always justify the ends.
Anyway, I started listening to (a lot of) history podcasts over the last few months so it’s safe to say I’m mellowing out as I age. So, I’ve got that to look forward to in 2025.
-Mark