🎙️ Singin', just singin'...

You can't be cool by just spouting a bunch of warn out buzzwords. Lisa Simpson.

Last week, I wrote a post about visiting Glasgow for a strategy meeting. The meeting is a perfect example of what can potentially be achieved. Dave, be careful; remember, we're not playing bingo.

Let's go back to December.

That first review meeting wasn't great. In fact, if I'm being completely honest, it was a bit of a bruising. Several factors had damaged the relationship to the point of it being questioned.

As I said in my first blog or newsletter, as LinkedIn calls it, this is where the groundwork, the heavy lifting, starts.

1. Most importantly, own and acknowledge past mistakes.
2. But listen to and understand the underlying messages.
3. Then, try to show tangible value in supporting challenges without strings attached.

Obvious right?

I talked about those blocks in the first blog to build trust. It's a continuous process, don't get me wrong, but it has recently led to opening conversations around future plans and working more closely together.

Great, you might say, well done. I do that all day long. Blue Peter badge for Dave! Remember them?

I think people sometimes forget we are in a niche market, and some of us have been around for a while. So yes, I hear the jungle drums attempting to play down any suggestion of making things better.

That wasn't my underlying message, though—it's just the headline.

This isn't an isolated example. Similar conversations are happening with other members, including suppliers, who want to collaborate and share experience, knowledge, ideas, and resources.

The point of all this is that the forecast, metaphorically or not, doesn't have to be a grey sky with that fine rain that gets you wet, as my mum used to say.

Just because something has always been done that way doesn't mean it has to be.

That's not what I'm about or, more importantly, what we are about. I know my limitations, and that's exactly why we have a team ready to support these conversations on a value-driven, not revenue-focused, basis.

A change is coming, and I am excited to embrace and ride that wave.

For now, we'll keep singing in the rain. Have a great weekend, everyone! 🌤️ 😎