Letter on the Third — August 2021
Dear Datamax Family,
My high school basketball coach taught me a lesson I will never forget.
At the beginning of the season, he sat the entire team down and asked us: “Who do you guys think the starting five should be?” A little taken aback by the question, I didn’t raise my hand. I didn’t put myself in there. Sure enough, the first game comes and another player started in my place. “Coach, did I do something wrong?” I asked him after the game.
His response? “If you don’t feel you should start, why should I?”
Whether it is basketball or business, or any other avenue of your life, you’ve got to believe in yourself. If you don’t, no one else will. In the midst of our mid-year meetings, and as we evaluate the rest of 2021 at Datamax, this is the message I would pass along to everyone here. What do you want to accomplish this year? Where are you at right now toward achieving whatever you set out to do?
Sometimes, finding that out takes a hard look in the mirror.
If you believe in something, you’ll focus on it. You’ll be passionate about it. And you’ll take the necessary steps to get there. Too often, people don’t establish a goal – instead, they make it a wish. The past year more than ever, with everything surrounding COVID-19, we could chalk our circumstances up to “It is what it is,” or we can do something about it. We need to do something about it, because we have a great company with great employees. Overall, I believe we’re on the right path, so to me, the second half comes down to staying the course. Let’s not lose sight of our goals.
I’ll leave you all with the seven challenges that were presented along with our annual theme, “ChALLenge 2021,” back in January. I believe these are right in line with what we continue to face in all of our marketplaces.
- Challenge #1: Evolved Print/Workflow Behavior
- Challenge #2: Remote Clientele Realities
- Challenge #3: Customer Engagement Obstacles
- Challenge #4: Enhanced Departmental Collaboration
- Challenge #5: Agile Services Delivery
- Challenge #6: Elevated Personal Development
- Challenge #7: Staying “YOUR” Course in the midst of it ALL.
These are all conquerable challenges if we stay the path. Take a look in the mirror, and assess your progress. Believe in yourself. Believe in the great things you can accomplish, and the even greater things we can accomplish together.
The Best is Yet to Be.
