The Price of Wavemaking

Being stagnant sucks.

Digging the same trench endlessly just gets you a deeper trench.

Recently, I put up a post with a decidedly more acerbic tone than is usually my style. I was frustrated, so I used the voice I have to express that. Some folks were right behind me. Some thought I was being condescending, or patronizing, or (gasp) unprofessional. All fine with me.

You see, journeys ebb and flow. Some people stick with you, others find their stops along the way. It’s part of the evolution of learning, teaching, absorbing, breaking new ground. In business, innovation rarely if ever comes from repeating what’s been done before. It’s the power of change, the momentum behind a shift in thinking or perspective, or the downright frustration with the status quo that sometimes propels us to a new place.

It’s perfectly fine if you’re more comfortable somewhere predictable. I don’t particularly want a lot of unknowns in some areas of my life. And there is absolutely a time, place, and need for positive, constructive frameworks of ideas that are encouraging and hopeful. In fact, I hope I’ve delivered plenty of those to you here, or in the other ways that you interact with me.

And there will be plenty more to come, because that’s very much part of who I am. But I’ve reached a place in my professional career and in my role within this industry where I feel like I need to push the envelope a bit, get brave, take risks, issue challenges to myself and others. Because I have the benefit of immersion, whip smart people around me, and passion for what I do.

Is that going to alienate some folks? Sometimes turn them off because I’m more brazen or opinionated or trying really hard to uncover the nitty gritty in something without a side of affirmations? Probably.

I’m never going to move to a place where I’m lobbing personal attacks at people, or inciting flame wars, or any of that adolescent crap you see around the internet. It’s not conducive to anything, and it’s not my style, nor the point.

But I am going to continue to challenge ideas, issue reality checks, disagree with things sometimes and ask hard questions. I’m going to grow more protective of my community, my networks, and my time, so I can focus them where it’s helpful and useful. Because I think some folks need to, and I’m volunteering to be one of them. I hope you’ll challenge me right back, and keep thinking about where you can make the most impact, too.

If that’s not your thing, that’s totally okay with me. I thank you for your investment with me thus far, and I will wish you good journeys to wherever you’re headed next. There are lots of amazing destinations in this social media space that are full of the foundations, the formative topics, the more comfortable conversations, the stuff that can really help those of you voyaging into this world for the first time. They’re sure to serve you well.

But if you’re still here, with me for the long haul, buckle in. I promise to keep the dialogue constructive, deliberate, honest, and as thoughtful as I can muster. Sometimes that will include a bit of the sass that’s unavoidably me. But there’s much new territory to be explored in this, the social media landscape, the future of new communication, and in the human factors of culture, trust, motivation and change that underpin it all.

I’m eager to see what’s beyond that horizon, so I’m okay with the waves I’ll have to ride to get there. See you on deck?

image credit: Hamed Saber

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