“You can’t look at the competition and say you’re going to do it better. You have to look at the competition and say you’re going to do it differently.”
Steve Jobs
Song: Young Blood by Noah Kahan
Article: White Glove Service by Seth Godin
Thought: I love the return of football season. I’m an avid Washington Husky and Seattle Seahawk fan. As such, I loathe the Oregon Ducks and San Francisco/Santa Clara 49ers. I want my teams to win every week but I equally want those other teams to lose. Sometimes I want them to lose more than I want to win. That’s all fine when it comes to meaningless sports but crosses a personal value when it comes to people.
I love is the two industry conferences I attend in the Fall, PNCWA and WEFTEC. At each, many firms and utilities show up to present their work, innovations and receive awards. Firm to firm, we are typically competition on projects on the playing field of ideas. Many of us have switched teams, changed roles, and retired over the years. These conference remind me who I am rooting for: my friends and our communities.
I welcome rooting for the best ideas that help our communities. I cheer loudly when my competitors/friends present their work and win awards. I respect the profession by honoring the professionals in the arena. Game knows game. We push each other because the people we serve are worth it. When I lose, it just means I need better ideas. I’m grateful for those lessons in losses and the lessons I get to teach my friends too through wins.