When I went for a jog last Sunday, I ran into a friend. Of course, we ended up talking about what’s on everyone’s mind: the pandemic. Now, I realize I’m one of the lucky ones. Roadmap is doing well, given the circumstances. I have three wonderful children of school age. Last but not least, I have a roof over my head and a nice home office. So, you won’t hear me complain. But I do worry, and my friend’s words didn’t put me at ease.
Less chaos, more empathy
The Netherlands is in the thick of the second wave, and it’s hard for all of us. Dutch people are pretty opinionated and tend to question everything. Most believe they’re the exception to the rule. It may be a great attitude for a tech company aiming to change the world. But during the coronacrisis, it prevents us from forming a team of 17 million people who join hands to control the virus.
Naturally, it makes things more difficult for the Dutch government. On top of that, we’re dealing with big changes at a global level, such as the U.S. elections and Brexit. All this makes me realize these are truly crazy times.
If you ask me (and I know you didn’t, but I’ll say it anyway), we need more empathy. We should take care of each other and listen to people who’ve spent a great deal of time considering the options. Chaos and conflict won’t solve anything. They never do.
Hope versus strategy
So, what’s my point? Well, when I ran into my friend on Sunday morning, he told me he was already preparing himself for a third, and perhaps even a fourth wave. I had an aha moment: I should change the way I look at this pandemic.
Of course, I hope my friend’s preparations are in vein. He does, too. But hoping it will all be over soon isn’t a good strategy. In fact, it’s not a strategy at all — and this is coming from someone who has spent the past 8 months keeping his fingers crossed (truthfully, I only uncrossed them to write this blog post).
At Roadmap, though, we’ve really held our own during the crisis. We maintain close contact with our customers and take good care of each other. And we do have a strategy: we listen to our customers and help them restart their programs.
I’d like to thank all our customers for believing in us and helping us create a future-proof product. The past 8 months have been about taking care of each other. Now, we are ready to move forward.
Fingers crossed a vaccine will be ready soon. I know it’s not a strategy. But where there’s life, there’s hope…
Markus
