Monday, March 4, 2013

Timing and circumstances turn a failure into a success

This week, I met with some colleagues and we discussed our customers' increasing demand for Spanish-language services from us. An exec at our company said, "Yes, we absolutely need to grow this capability. Let's list a set of partners to evaluate in Mexico, so we can provide these services. Can we meet about that next week?"

After the meeting, one colleague was a bit frustrated. "Can I say something?" he said to me. "I proposed we do this a year ago and the suggestion was ignored. What's different this time?"

I said, "The idea was good then, and it is still good now. The only difference is the timing. A year ago, we weren't ready to commit to this, and our customers weren't either. Now we both are."

The lesson: don't give up on a good idea. Put it in a place where you can retrieve it if the circumstances change. If it's a good idea, they very well may, sooner or later.

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