Letter on the Third — November 2021
Dear Datamax Family,
I was on a plane about a month ago, and one of the passengers was giving the flight attendant a hard time. I could tell she was frustrated. When she walked by my seat a few minutes later, I stopped her and said, “I want to thank you for the job you’re doing. I truly appreciate it.” She actually got a little teary-eyed and, then, a funny thing happened.
For the remainder of the flight, she raised her game.
We don’t always realize the impact we can have on people.
Expressing gratitude can raise not only spirits, but also energy, productivity, and even results. In business, we should never give up a moment to thank someone for what he or she does, or what we have the opportunity to do for them at Datamax.
Given the difficult times we’ve faced over the past 18 or so months, I’m grateful for the ability to look at all of our employees and know we’re looking after the safety of their families, of themselves, and their customers. I am grateful for the chance to do the series of videos, to communicate with you all through every stage of the pandemic. I’m grateful for the acquisitions we’ve made in the last year, and the fact that in Arkansas, we were named Best Places to Work for the fifth straight year – all during turbulent times.
When I look back over my career in this industry, there is also plenty of reasons to be grateful.
We’re the type of company that everybody needs what we have. When I got into this business, we were selling mimeographs, offset presses, and duplicators. Then we got into electronic typewriters, standalone copiers, and fax machines. We got into the IT business 20 years ago, and we continue to understand and work our way through such evolving technology. The point is, we have always evolved. At the same time, we also know our culture, and we’ve stayed true to our commitments to customers and Creating Raving Fans along the way. We should be grateful for our position in this industry.
Those who know me know I’m not one to get sour.
It’s just not my style to look on the bad side of anything. It doesn’t mean we won’t make the inevitable mistake – but for me, it’s always been about failing forward. I have a lot of gratitude for not losing sight of the big picture. We need employees to look at things in that same light – it’s not about what we didn’t get or what we don’t have. It’s about recognizing everything we do have. That’s gratitude.
Finally, I’m grateful to all of you. As we approach Thanksgiving later this month, I want to thank everyone for everything you’ve done for the last year and a half. Looking ahead, I know our culture will take us through anything. In the meantime, let’s do our best to stay ahead of the curve, to not lose sight of the big picture, and to express gratitude along the way.
The Best is Yet to Be.
