The most important thing…

How would you answer the three questions below:

1. What is the most important thing today?
2. What do you believe is the most important thing in your organisation? and
3. What will you remember when you reflect on your current position in ten years?

I consider these questions as I ponder my recent career transition and reflect on my last six years as a leader in a digital agency.

There were times I would have said the most important aspect about a business is process. Over the years in our digital agency we surrounded ourselves with project management systems, quality automation and controls, team structures, development methodologies, and HR policies and procedures in our efforts to keep complexity at bay.

Other times it was all about growth. We went from 10 to 60 staff over five years and the growth from 30 to 60 happened in about 12 months. We tore down walls, expanded to multiple locations, won Fast50 awards, and trialled different outsourcing strategies in our efforts to meet client demand for “infinite scale”.

Growth highlights a focus on profitability and its close cousin of cash flow. The pressures to drive costs down and build revenue up was a dominant topic of conversation in the midst of constant change.

There were those in the business who said it was all about the technology or design. Staying in front of the curve was critical as every month seemed to bring a new platform, device, operating system, measurement tool, automation system, framework version, or design approach.

And of course a main contender for the most important thing is the client and project. It can seem like a big deal when you are part of a team that builds the online ordering system for Domino’s Pizza that places orders for over 50% of the company or when you build online ordering systems for Dreamworld or mobile apps for brand such as Rio Tinto or Brisbane Airport.

All of those things competed for the position as the most important thing at the time. Yet reflecting back what I remember most are the relationships developed as we did those things.

Relationship is more than just about the people, it is the bond between the people as you do what needs to be done.  Process without relationship is cold automation. Growth without relationship is empty empire building. Profitability without relationship reduces people to numbers and interactions to efficiency exercises. Technology or design without relationship becomes elitist and academic. Clients and projects without relationships are reduced to line items on a resume that need to be compounded year after year to stay relevant.

The importance of relationship was reiterated to me over the years by older executives warning me not to repeat their mistakes. Perhaps it is a curse of commerce that such things are only available in hindsight.

The other aspects of the business mentioned above are important, but it is relationship that gives those things their meaning. I reflect on how six years can hold stories of personal loss and hardship to where you think your heart will break for the other person. Those same six years include celebrations of human life, new relationships and personal achievements that inspire and give hope for the future. 

On a personal note, over the past six years a 12-year old daughter became an 18 year young woman and a 14-year marriage matured into a 20-year friendship. There is much to be missed along the way if the most important thing is not relationships.

Relationship is not something that happens as a side note when implementing process or achieving rapid growth or hitting profitability targets. Relationship is what is necessary in order to achieve those things. My biggest lessons were those when I forgot this and my proudest moments are when this was proven true.

I am grateful for the incredible opportunities I had to work with an unbelievably competent and fun team. We learned a lot and did some amazing things together. I am thankful for the honour of contributing to something great. What I will remember most are the people involved, how we treated each other, and how we felt at the end.

I am excited about my new opportunity to work with a company helping organisations with leadership development, strategy engagement, and change management. As I progress on my journey, I take with me a lesson on what I believe to be the most important thing.