For the first time in 2020, I’m on a plane.
A real, honest to heavens, metallic bird in the sky.
The journey here has felt rather odd.
Heathrow was deserted, even the shops were closed.
Not a line in sight for check-in or security.
The flight is only about 15% full and there’s no one in my row.
The contrast with the usual hustle and bustle of the holiday travel season couldn’t be more stark.
It’s hard to say, but in some respects it hasn’t been a better travel experience!
Our year at Alacrity has sometimes felt rather odd.
That oddity has been a great teacher though, and we’ve come an awful long way.
Given how much we learned it often felt like we were often in school via Zoom!
3 things we’ve been thinking about to get 2021 off to a flying start(1):
- Assumptions are a bad idea – In talking with hundreds of legal departments this year, the variety of experience and feedback we’ve heard has been amazing. We don’t operate in a one size fits all industry, and we need to constantly evaluate what we believe, understanding that there isn’t often one perfect answer. Our job in 2021 is to continue to synthesize what works best and bring products that help our clients do it in the easiest way.
- Simple is usually better – We sometimes overestimate how useful a feature or product will be to clients. It might make all the sense in the world to a sophisticated user but the reality is that 95% aren’t. Often the big impacts come from small, simple changes. Throughout our business we need to always remember that simplicity often wins. Our greatest help to clients isn’t to be the shiny new toy but the one that actually sticks around long after Christmas morning.
- Tech isn’t enough – Some of the most impactful change we’ve made with clients has nothing to do with what our platform does. More often we have to take a step back and explore what’s really standing in the way of our clients achieving what they want. Our platform can help, but the honest truth is that most of the time it’s 75% people change and 25% tech.
Those are just a few of the very many things we learned this year.
We also have a lot to be thankful to you for.
Our client list tripled this year, and we’re confident that pace will only increase.
This enabled us to double the size of our team and plan for another doubling next year.
That team helped deliver meaningful change to some of the highest quality businesses in the world and build a product we can be proud of.
So for that we can’t thank you enough.
With that, and as Peter, Paul and Mary instructed(2), we’ll leave 2020 from a jet plane.
A very happy holiday season to you and all of your loved ones!
Here’s to ringing in 2021 with joyful haste,
Christopher Thurn
Founder – Alacrity Law
(1) I’m sorry, I couldn’t help myself
(2) https://youtu.be/RQ8-wyIdssc
