Seth Godin inspired me to commit to writing daily over a year ago, something he has done for nearly two decades.
His posts are without images, vary from a few words to much lengthier pieces, some with many links to the work of others, some with none.
Recently he posted a particularly pithy one, so today choosing to simply share a repost to honour Seth and how he inspires me.
From Seth:
There’s a term in copyediting called “stet.”
That’s what you write when you want the copyeditor to not make the indicated change. It’s probably Latin for, “leave my best work alone, please.”
Too often, in a committee, we bend to the fear of those that would prefer we fit in, dumb it down and average it out.
Better, I think, to simply say, “stet.” No drama, no explanation. Simply, “stet.”
Your work is worth it.
Stet is most frequently translated as “let it stand”, but I much prefer “leave my best work alone, please.”
Book editing is a particular form of genius and every great book writer I know has a great relationship with their editor. However, sometimes one needs to still say “Stet”.
In the world of leaders, sometimes “design by committee” takes hold, or, worse, design by “reputational risk and oversight committee” where the bias towards status quo and avoidance of risk can freeze any bold action to innovate.
Leadership sometimes means standing by our work, our decisions, even when others question them strongly.
Sometimes the bold act is to say “Stet”.