They're Called Key for a Reason

Shame on me. I made a mistake.

Although it has been corrected, this oversight cost my company a lot of money, too much time and a fair amount of sleep. It consumed creativity, manpower that was assigned to other business, rattled confidence, and delivered a huge distraction. The launch of our new program has been delayed several months.

The advanced markets world needs to be reminded. It is imperative to help business owners identify risk. They have to recognize the potential impact and take (intelligent) proactive steps to mitigate the fallout. A recurring theme in this blog has been focused on trying to help business owners do just that. Protect what they have worked so hard to build. But I can say with confidence there’s still much to be done.

What happened?

A software application was conceptualized and in development. We spent years in the planning stages and knew this endeavor would require a small platoon of creative and technical people. Everyone had to be vetted. Thankfully most had been working with my company for decades.

Proven. Reliable. Supremely qualified. These folks are the cream of the crop. So I assumed, with a bit of bravado, we were good to go. Everyone was energized. There were two well-qualified leaders for each of the primary teams. My partner and I (who lead the project) stopped flying on the same jet.

To make the program work as designed, automated data extraction was/is a key capability. However, the lead programmer assigned to this task had no true back up personnel and no history with our company. She was bright. Painfully skilled in her particular “world” and came with stellar recommendations. It was love at first sight and we were anxious to have her participate.

Months into a successful development cycle we were confident. But after a post-op complication from a routine surgical procedure, our new team member contracted pneumonia. Her illness progressed rapidly and she subsequently died. Disbelief blew through our company. It was a shock to everyone and a tragedy for family and friends. This woman was not old, not sick and full of life. She had a great sense of humor and we laughed on the phone just days prior to her passing.

Life is fragile. We take it for granted. I hope I’ve learned the bigger lesson here.

P.S. I know what you’re thinking. “That will never happen to me.” Of course not. What are the odds.

Michael J. Mainardi, Co-Founder - Selling Technologies