9 lessons From an Extraordinary Year

It’s been one hell of a year. They say that out of crisis comes opportunity, but few of us could ever have imagined the drama that 2020 has dumped at our door. The pandemic has inevitably taught us all some valuable lessons about how we should work when the going gets tough. I wanted to share a few of mine.

  1. Be prepared to be flexible

    If you’d told me a year ago that we’d launch a piece of software in four months, only using Zoom, I’d have laughed. But that’s what we’ve done. We redeployed a team from Think Jam to ReMake. We brainstormed, we hired, we developed, we met new clients. All from our bedrooms, sofas or coffee shops. It’s been a real feat of metamorphosis. 

  2. Trust your gut

    Of course check data, of course take guidance, but trust that sixth sense. That adrenaline rush, combined with experience and instinct, has enormous value. You’d be foolish to ignore it.

  3. Stick to your knitting

    In other words, do what you do best. I’ve learned big lessons in the last year about diluting, over-diversifying and spreading yourself too thinly. Stick to what you do well and double down on it. ReMake may be a new platform, but it's also what Think Jam does well: versioning and creativity. We just turned it into a brilliant bit of software.

  4. Trust your teams

    You’ve surrounded yourself with great people. If there was ever a time to empower them and use all their talents to the full, it’s now. I am so impressed, although not surprised, at what my entire team has achieved in the face of such challenging times.

  5. Fail fast

    There are dozens of slogans telling us that every failure makes us stronger. Slogans are all very well, but COVID has confronted us with reality. If something is not working, and you know it really won't work, then move on - quickly. I try not to think about these things as failures, instead I tell myself they are lessons to help me succeed the next time.

  6. Be Positive

    Negative thoughts, living in the past, shoulda woulda coulda - are all toxic. Live in the moment and focus positively on the future. I have worked incredibly hard to teach myself to think positive, even during the most challenging of situations. Not only has it paid off, but it has paid off to all of those around me. Positivity breeds positivity. 

  7. Procrastinating is paralysis

    Time is short. Things are moving faster than ever. In a climate like this, you can’t put off the inevitable. A hard decision will always be a hard decision, no matter when you make it. And making the wrong decision is better than making no decision at all. So make it! I have learnt that no decision is far worse than the wrong decision.

  8. Stay laser-focused

    Identify the distractions. Set them aside. They’ll only hold you back. A laser-focused approach will help to carry you – and everyone around you – forward with confidence. We never know what a new year has in store. This time around things feel more unpredictable than ever. But we’ve all had a very recent (and very valuable) crash course in how to deal with the unexpected. ReMake has certainly helped us roll with the punches, and we know that it’ll be helping many more people in 2021.

  9. Change is good

    To those who are afraid of change, I humbly say, fear not. I recently looked back on our 2020 annual plan and it’s safe to say it’s unrecognizable from the business I see in front of me today. Times change, clients change, the way we work changes - and that is OK; it just gives us an opportunity to relook at how we make change work for us.

We never know what a new year has in store. This time around things feel more unpredictable than ever. But we’ve all had a very recent (and very valuable) crash course in how to deal with the unexpected. ReMake has certainly helped us roll with the punches, and we know that it’ll be helping many more people in 2021.

By Daniel Robey, Founder & CEO of ReMake & Think Jam.

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