My Last Blog Post
Posted by Vovici Blog on Tue, Feb 08, 2011
Today many bloggers are writing their “last blog post”, in a conscious effort to communicate what they think is most important, inspired by the late Randy Pausch’s The Last Lecture. You can read some of these posts by tracking the Twitter hashtag #LastBlog.
In reality, I’ll never know what my last blog post was – an attempt to make a complex research topic a little simpler to understand, some advice for doing better research, a roundup of other people’s posts, or even a cartoon. Whatever my last post will be, you can bet there were at least a hundred more I wanted to write after it.
So while I can exercise a bit of control over my virtual last post, here are my parting thoughts.
One of our highest callings as people is to understand one another, and research provides a way for us to learn from one another. Our goal as researchers should be to distill that learning into lessons that can be used to make the world a better place. To be human is to be a member of a community, and good research fulfills our desire to demonstrate empathy, honor and respect for each other.
Market researchers should delight in the market and should seek to improve the market. Greasing the gears that drive commerce, making companies run a tiny bit smoother, may seem like a little thing in the span of a life, but free enterprise in a mixed economy gives the most power to individuals to pursue their own passions and dreams. Almost everyone prefers a hand up to a hand out and wants to make the world better through their work. Market research helps improve the quality of everyone’s work, and that is no small thing.
Like any tool, market research can be used for good or ill. Study the ethical codes of the profession and strive to conduct honorable research. Think hard about the products and services you will research—are they building up people, or tearing people down?
Take time to help customers, coworkers and even competitors. Market research is a rich intellectual discipline, shaped by the contributions that thousands before of us have shared. We all stand on the shoulders of giants, and we should all seek to lift those around us by sharing what we’ve learnt.
Market research takes a lifetime to master. There is always something new to learn, and some exception that tests what we thought we knew about conducting sound research. Never give up reading, learning, studying, experimenting and playing, because that is how we better our profession, our craft and ourselves.
Market research is a noble calling. If you’re a student, consider a career in market research: it requires unique talents, and is a mix of art and science. It will challenge you all the days of your life. And may those be extraordinarily long.