Distance Made Good: A Great Way to Navigate Waves of Disruptions

When navigating the new normal unfolding before us, it helps to have trusted partners and top-notch teamwork.

My appreciation of those two qualities has soared during recent work with client companies that are contending with constant changes, increasing tax complexity and many other forms of external volatility. That’s why I’m happy that Vertex continues to develop trusted partnerships – with our customers, fellow solution providers and other stakeholders – throughout our ever-expanding ecosystem.

Matt Brown – from one of our trusted partners, NetSuite – possesses first-hand experience with the value of teamwork under extreme real-world conditions. Matt manages NetSuite’s corporate partnerships, including his company’s relationship with Vertex, and he also happens to be a Guinness World Record holder. 

As we discussed in a recent webcast, Matt found himself in a pickle a few years ago while competing in a 3,000-mile ocean-rowing race across the Atlantic. A massive storm struck during the race, and Matt and his team battled gale-force winds, limited visibility and vexing currents while trying to survive the elements and remain on course. It wasn’t easy. For every three miles the rowers notched during an especially challenging stretch, the wind and currents shoved them two miles back. 

Yet, this adversity ultimately proved instructive on numerous counts. Matt explains that the experience gave him a deep appreciation of “distance made good,” a nautical concept used for measuring the absolute progress achieved from point A to point B, regardless of the zig-zagging that occurs due to obstacles, errors and other complications encountered along the way. “Layered into the meaning of ‘distance made good’ is the concept of not only measuring your progress but also reflecting on your progress,” Matt explains in the webcast. “In the business world, we’ve all learned that you probably don’t get to your destination in a straight line – and not by having one success, another success and then another success.” 

That lesson seems critical to keep in mind right now, regardless of whether you’re in a tax department, an IT function or a raging squall during the world’s toughest rowing race.