I don’t know when it started.
Maybe it was the fact that my grandfather was a craftsman extraordinaire… or maybe it was the line from my favorite television show in 1967 where the Skipper tells Gilligan that “a job that is not done well… is not a well done job.”
Then again… maybe it was all the times my dad sent me back out with the mower or the shovel because I had “missed a spot.”
Whatever the reason, I have always taken pride in my work.
And not in a “prideful” sort of way, mind you… it’s simply that at the end of the day… or the end of the project… I feel good knowing that I have done my best.
Often… far short of perfect… but my best just the same.
**************************************************************************************************************
I think one of the things I like most about being in business for myself for all these years is the responsibility (and reward) of aligning what we’d LIKE our brand to be… with the reality of what the rest of the world BELIEVES our brand to be.
After all, our brand is not what WE SAY it is… our brand is what everyone else THINKS it is. And depending on what we consistently deliver, therein lies the good news… or the bad!
It used to be so simple… buy a ton of advertising… get YOUR message out to as many eyeballs as possible, and voi-la… you were in the driver’s seat.
Yikes!
Thankfully, if those days aren’t already history… they are headed there at a powerful rate!
Today, due to technology, communications, the Internet, and platforms that support everyone adding their own voice to the conversation… WHAT WE SAY is not nearly as important as WHAT WE DO and WHO WE ARE.
It is about aligning words and deeds, offering substance and value, and delivering with the authenticity and character that inspires goodwill and trust.
It’s a commitment to excellence throughout our organizations; one that speaks so loud that no one cares about the advertising… neither our advertising, nor the competition’s. As we discussed in Parts I and II, Walt Disney understood this… and, I suspect… so do you.
**********************************************************************************************************
Okay, so we clean up our businesses… and operate a cut above.
Maybe it’s just me (though I don’t think so), but I’ve always felt that since I had a family business, it was going to be, well… a FAMILY business.
That is, a business that is fit for my family… or yours. A short story, please… to make the point.
I spent years in the permanent staffing field… hiring thousands of individuals to work for companies throughout the U.S. We had simple criteria to judge whether we should take on a new client or not… just Golden Rule stuff, really.
Are you ready for this deeply held secret… this volume of rocket-science that propelled Ameristaff USA and it’s reputation to the top of the industry?
Well, here it is… for FREE.
I simply asked three questions before bringing on a new customer:
FIRST… Do they consistently pay their bills on time?
SECOND… Would I be willing to represent their company?
And THIRD… Would I mind if my daughter worked there?
That’s it… and then I woke up every day and made sure that MY BUSINESS could ALSO pass the test. In fact, it is what I’ll do again tomorrow.
Until then, I look forward to hearing from you.
Photo Credit: