Boy did we get 2014 wrong!
Every year for the past 5 years, Hoots and Thomas have picked and published a word of the year. You can read about our words of the year here. Last year we picked, “Refine.” We loved the definition of Refine. We liked the idea of improving and getting better.
As much as we liked “Refine” as a word of the year, we were wrong. “Refine” wasn’t the word that represented 2014, “Grow” was.
2014 turned out to not be about “refining.” 2014 was about crazy, fast, slightly out-of-control growth. Kudzu-caliber growth.
When things are getting exciting, challenging and moving slightly faster than comfortable, it’s not unusual for someone on the Oneicity team to mutter, “Hands in the Air.” That’s because, when I ride roller coasters, I love to turn loose of that nice secure safety bar and put my hands in the air and feel the thrill of not hanging on. It’s always a bit of male bravado, a bit of act of faith and a bunch of joy-terror.
This year’s growth went slightly beyond that. Hoots called it more of a “hang-on-for-dear-life” kind of year.
Oneicity was blessed to grow in the number of clients we serve (including adding a wonderful new client in December — how crazy is that?). We were able to expand our team with some seriously talented players. The number of projects grew off the charts. We added far more consulting, print and digital projects than we’d anticipated, and the complexity of all those projects increased.
Whew. 2014 was about Growth. We were refining and improving all along, and God was faithful to keep everything and everyone on the rails. But what a ride!
So, in hindsight, for the first time ever, we’re revising our word of the year. If you’re keeping score at home, mark out “Refine” and write in “Grow.”
How about you? Was 2014 what you expected it to be? Do you pick a word of the year, and how’d that choice go?
We’ve picked our 2015 Word of the Year. You can read about it next time. But first, I’d love to hear about what 2014 was like for you.
As always, I love hearing what you’re thinking.
Steve Thomas
Partner, Oneicity
(photo credit: Ted Murphy)
