Inside DCC: What Worked, What Didn’t, and What We Learned

Hey! How was your week? 

Mine has been reflective and a little uncomfortable, which is usually a sign that something useful is happening.

Last week, we talked about the people who shaped our year. This week is about the work itself. Not the polished version. The real one. The parts that worked, the parts that didn’t, and what it actually cost us to learn the difference.

I want to start with something simple.

Some of what we believed at the beginning of the year turned out to be wrong.

What We Got Right, and Why It Worked

The biggest thing we got right was slowing down where it mattered.

Our publishing pipeline became clearer because we stopped trying to force speed where clarity was required. Our eLearning projects improved when we treated them as systems, not deliverables. Authors came in with stronger ideas because we pushed harder on thinking before execution. Coaches did better work because they understood that influence isn’t about volume, it’s about resonance.

None of that happened by accident.

It happened because we respected the process. When people followed the system, the system actually worked. When they didn’t, the cracks showed immediately.

The same was true of how we communicate. When updates were clear and timely, work moved cleanly across people and time zones. 

When they weren’t, pressure built fast. That pressure was useful. It showed us where structure was missing and where assumptions were overworking.

The Roundtables were another bright spot, not because they were events, but because they were honest conversations. They helped us hear what creators are actually struggling with, not what they say they are struggling with.

Where We Missed, and What It Cost Us

We also chased a few ideas that sounded right and felt generous, but didn’t hold up in practice.

Office Hours is the clearest example.

On paper, it made sense. More access. More connection. More support. 

In practice, it didn’t land the way we expected. That may have been on us. We didn’t spend enough time explaining what Office Hours was supposed to be, or why it might be useful. The takeaway wasn’t about meetings. It was about direction. People want better decisions and a clearer path forward.

We also underestimated the complexity of a few projects. That wasn’t a skills issue. It was an optimism issue. We learned, again, that creative work does not compress just because timelines demand it.

And yes, there were moments when communication lagged behind the pace of the work. When that happened, everything felt heavier. That was a signal, not a failure. It forced us to tighten how we track progress and how we support each other internally.

The Real Lesson Underneath All of It

Here’s the truth that became impossible to ignore this year.

Systems matter, but people who respect systems matter more.

Influence is shifting. Fast. The people who are succeeding are not chasing every trend. They are refining their message, building things that last, and staying flexible without becoming reactive.

Transparency turned out to be non-negotiable. When expectations were clear, the work flowed. When they weren’t, friction showed up immediately. We learned to address that more quickly and directly.

What This Looked Like From Inside the Work

Kayce stepped into operations during a transition and had to get sharp fast. Coordinating work across time zones made one thing obvious very quickly. Clarity and timing are not optional. They are the difference between momentum and chaos. When handoffs were clean, everything moved. When they weren’t, the entire system felt it.

From a strategic standpoint, Harry saw the same pattern. The creators who made progress weren’t the ones reacting to every shift. They were the ones willing to rethink assumptions, focus their thinking, and build for the long term. When communication slipped, pressure rose. When structure held, complexity became manageable.

Different vantage points. Same conclusion.

Where This Leaves Us

Reflection only matters if it changes how you move forward.

This year clarified what we are willing to let go of, what we are eager to protect, and what we are willing to double down on. Not because it sounds good, but because we’ve lived the consequences.

We’re heading into 2026 clearer than we were a year ago. Not because everything worked, but because we paid attention when it didn’t.

Next week, I want to talk about the mindset that made it possible to stay in the work when things got hard. And on December 28, I’ll share where we’re going next, and why.

Warmly,

Jan

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