We compete, you win
My father rarely offered advice. It’s not that he was incapable. Rather, he was full of wisdom but preferred that my brothers and I first try to figure things out on our own; he believed that experience is the best teacher. But when asked, he always patiently answered our questions and pointed us in the right direction.
On one occasion, when I was a teenager, we were talking about what I would encounter upon entering the workforce. He explained that it’s a big world with a big population, and that I surely was going to run up against people who had as much—or more—talent than me. That didn’t sound promising. But he further explained that I could still beat the competition if I worked harder than they did. He used baseball as an example. He pointed out that despite my modest abilities, I turned myself into an above-average player as a youth by being fundamentally sound, by hustling more than the other guys, and by being willing to take one for the team.
This tutorial further reinforced the healthy work ethic I already was on the way to developing. Fortunately, I work with two colleagues—Donny Jackson and Mary Rose Roberts—who embrace this ideal as much as I do. It is why, for instance, that at major industry events such as IWCE and APCO, we toil into the wee hours each evening—after covering the event like a blanket during the day—to produce daily editions of this newsletter. Believe me, it would be a lot easier and a lot more fun if we went to a fine restaurant or to the casino each evening. But we take seriously our responsibility to bring our readers important news first, and we take pride not only in our ability to do so, but also in our dedication to the task. Thank goodness for room service.
This dedication will be on display once again next week when we increase the frequency of this newsletter to two editions per week and add a new e-publication. Urgent Communications Today will be published every Tuesday and Thursday, while the new Urgent Communications’ Tech Talk—hosted by Lynnette Luna—will be published every Wednesday. Luna, who has covered wireless technology for almost two decades, will report and provide analysis on key technology developments. This coverage often will take the form of podcasts that will feature interviews with our industry’s leading technologists.
That’s not all. Recently, we added to our web site (www.urgentcomm.com) the ability for readers to comment on many of our stories. (Look for the comment box that follows selected stories). Also, we soon will be adding to the site a blog entitled “Squawk Box” in which our editorial team will share its insights on various topics. Of course, you will have the ability to share your own insights, something we always encourage.
All of this activity circles back to our collective work ethic and desire to bring our readers the best information, analysis and commentary, faster than anyone else. As the inventor Thomas Edison once opined, “Success is 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration”—words to live by. Or as my father once told me, “The only thing you can control in life is how hard you work.” Also words to live by.
E-mail me at [email protected].
