Team,
I hope you had a wonderful and relaxing time with family and friends over the Thanksgiving holiday. This has long been my favorite holiday because it always gives me the opportunity to step back from the craziness and put things into perspective. This past Thanksgiving was particularly peaceful for me as I reflected on our business, my family and all the many blessings in life. While this Q4 was as hectic as ever, perhaps my calmness came from the realization that no matter how challenging certain days can be, I am reminded of all the people in my life that bring me comfort and joy.
From a professional perspective, I have never felt better about our team, our culture, our financial partners and the momentum of our business. That doesn’t mean we don’t have challenges or that business is easy, but I am so grateful for the confidence you all give me as we face these times together.
From a personal perspective, I count so many blessings as my family is happy and healthy. Perhaps, I have a greater sense of gratitude because I’ve spoken recently with friends and colleagues who are dealing with challenges themselves. I feel for them and realize how grateful I should be for both the big and small things in life.
In January, for our Town Hall, I’ve asked John O’Leary to come join us as our keynote speaker. So many of you have reached out over the years letting me know how moved you were by John’s book “On Fire” and his video message for us all. For those of you who were not with us two years ago when he first shared his story, I think you’ll find him to be extremely engaging and inspiring. John has taught me a great deal about “being grateful”, putting our challenges into perspective and looking at life as an opportunity.
At OneDigital, I think this is a great message to kick off the new year. We have grown at an exponential pace for which we all should be proud. However, growth can be tough at times, and there are certainly areas where we can improve. We need to continue to wrap our arms around our team members, and most importantly, we can’t let our success distract us from our most important relationships – our customers. Although 2018 is shaping up to be a successful year in so many ways, we have lost too many client relationships. We can and will do better as we strive to embrace our customers and better understand their changing needs. I know that with the right focus and attention, we can turn around any retention concerns in the coming year and become a stronger partner to all of our clients.
I hope you spend some time this month reflecting on all the blessings for which you can be grateful. And, think about how the challenges you face can be turned into opportunities. I also hope you find joy in everything we’ve accomplished this year as well as the positive impact that your work has had on so many around you. I’m certainly grateful for all of you and the renewed focus we’ll have in 2019 as we embrace the opportunity ahead.
Thank you and happy holidays!
Adam
