Planting Seeds
Ahead of its time?
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I’ve gotten some strange advice over the course of my average youthful lifespan.
Surprisingly, the ones I always remember are the ones around athletics.
…no, this is not a set-up to a Kenyan joke.
🤔 Maybe it is. But I digress…
In 2018, I got the chance to participate in a pleasantly innovative Blockchain hackathon. Most of the use cases of the hackathon were industry-specific and the industries were varied. There was agriculture, transportation, and technology among others.
Basically, companies wanted to know how they could get on the Blockchain bandwagon and potentially solve some of their problems. So, yes, innovative and tons of fun.
One of the use cases I got to work on was on contactless shipping and delivery for a transportation company.
The gist of the solution:
- Entirely digital Bill of Ladings.
- Digital signatures.
- Hashing of documents.
- ############# — censored
- ############# — censored
It was a team effort. Out of respect, I’ll leave some stuff out. I may also be making a point 😐.
Benefits of the solution:
- Save on paper; go green.
- Save on some cost.
- That Blockchain goodness.
- (Great in a pandemic — but did we know?)
This is where the advice comes in.
When you are running a sprint and you need to be faster. Just imagine you are being chased by a rabid dog. Works for me.
— Sprinter (obviously paraphrased)
It did not work for me 😐.
Nope, nothing could distract me from the pounding of my heart in my ears. Or the fatigue in my weak leg muscles.
2020 arrived with a pandemic — COVID-19.
During this time, I heard praises of a transportation company that successfully implemented a solution that offered customers:
- Digital Bill of Ladings.
- Digital Signatures.
Basically, contactless shipping and delivery. To be more precise, shipping and receiving. Without the Blockchain.
2 possible causes can be inferred from their implementation:
- Perhaps COVID-19 was a rabid dog, in this instance. Which would make this imagery effective in business scenarios — not so much in Athletics?🤷🏾♀️
- Maybe we can owe it all to effective change management.
However, I think we can probably agree on 1 thing.
One of Blockchain’s most attractive qualities is its classification as a disruptive technology.
Sure, Blockchain use cases are laughable in corporate environments. I have been in a corporate environment. Blockchain has been somewhat laughed at there.
However, it forces individuals and organizations to rethink strategies in newer ways. Sometimes, these ways can get them through pandemics and help sustain their profitability. Don’t you think?
