Day 1

Nikki forwarded me a link to an article about Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon, and three words he recommends we use to make good decisions and do good work:

“Disagree and Commit”

This phrase was quoted from a letter Jeff sent to his shareholders. I had read another article that included the full text of that letter and those words had grabbed my attention also.

Bezos explains; to disagree and commit doesn’t mean ‘thinking your team is wrong and missing the point,’ which will prevent you from offering true support.

Rather, Bezos writes, “it’s a genuine disagreement of opinion, a candid expression of my view, a chance for the team to weigh my view, and a quick, sincere commitment to go their way.”

We claim to have this mindset at Kirmay. We talk about the “wisdom of the crowd”, and freedom to speak transparently. Certainly, we don’t always agree about everything (so we have the ‘disagree’ part down.)

Do we truly commit? Do we provide the support and resources necessary to make what we ‘commit’ to successful? Do we communicate confidence in our team and their abilities? Do we have faith in each other?

Read the full text of Jeff’s letter here: http://www.businessinsider.com/read-amazon-ceo-jeff-bezos-2016-letter-to-shareholders-2017-4

It needs to be Day 1 at Kimray.

Interestingly enough, it is symbolically Day 1 in Christianity. Yesterday we celebrated the resurrection of our Lord and Savior. Visiting the tomb, his followers expected to find his broken, beaten and lifeless body laying where they left it. But he wasn’t there. They believed their hopes and dreams had come to an end. But the journey was really just beginning.

God doesn’t ask us to have all the facts and be certain before we commit to Him. If we knew everything, then following Christ wouldn’t require faith. God is ok with me disagreeing with Him. He can handle my questions, my uncertainty, my lack of understanding. All He asks is that I commit.

I’ve walked through some very difficult things in my life. People around me are walking through shadowy valleys as I write this. Maybe you are in a place that you do not want to be. It’s ok to disagree with God. It’s ok to be angry, scared, uncertain, confused. It’s ok to tell God how you feel.

The way through these things is to commit.

Jeff Bezos said, “Day 2 is stasis. Followed by irrelevance. Followed by excruciating, painful decline. Followed by death. And that is why it is always Day 1.”

Let’s live like it is always Day 1. That is the Kimray Way