Month: February 2021

Author Paulo Coelho is best known for his fable The Alchemist which has been translated into a record-setting 82 languages! He shares another fable in his new book, The Archer.

As the title implies, The Archer uses shooting a bow as a metaphor for life. The bow is the source of energy; the arrow is the intention, the target is the objective you are trying to reach, and the posture provides the serenity that allows you to learn how to shoot.

But the key lesson that Tetsuya the master shares with his mentee is to seek out allies to help in his journey. Tetsuya broadens the definition of allies to go beyond those with whom you may cooperate and considers allies as “people who are interested in what you are doing.” It does not matter if they are doing the same kind of work, rather whether they are doing it with enthusiasm and aren’t afraid to make mistakes. He believes those are the type of people who can make the real difference and help you improve your skills.

Often, when we think of allies we think of others in our circle who can help us by partnering or by doing similar work. Take Coelho’s advice to heart and look for people who are not like you. “The best allies are those who do not think like everyone else,” he writes. “Stay away from those who affirm truths, who criticize those who do not think like them, people who have never once taken a step unless they were sure they would be respected for doing so, and who prefer certainties to doubts.”

Who in your orbit has shown interest in what you are doing – even if they don’t understand it or work in the same field? Those may be perfect people with whom to align and create energy so that you both may hit your target with the arrow.

Source:  The Archer by Paulo Coelho, Knopf Publishing, 2020

I’m a big fan of conducting post-event evaluations and reviewing the lessons learned in the process. It’s a good way to document both successes and missteps and can aid immensely in future planning.

It’s also kind of a crap shoot.

Who is to say what strategy was effective? While adding in a certain advertisement for a campaign or an event to raise funds may have produced results, it is difficult to know whether the same impact would have been achieved without that intervention. It seemed important or necessary to do, but it is difficult to assess whether doing something differently would have ultimately altered the outcome.

At the turn of the 20^th century, marketing pioneer John Wanamaker said: “Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don’t know which half.” Modern analytics have given us more data but there is still little clarity on what truly drives people to act – and whether they would have behaved the same way if you did everything or nothing in your strategy.

There is a small window between contentment and complacency; a balancing act between always improving and continually feeling regret for not doing enough. You need to heed the advice of 1980’s rocker Pat Benatar and “hit me with your best shot.” Do what seems valuable, reflect with the benefit of hindsight and your best judgment, and be satisfied with giving your best effort in the next round.

Thanks, Brian!