How to Stand Apart

By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth

Want to stand apart from the masses? It’s not that hard, just keep your commitments. When I was just starting out in business one of my original mentors told me to “just do what you say you’re going to do, and that, in and of itself, will place you in a very select group within the business world.”  Being young and naive at the time, it seemed impossible to me that doing something so basic could lead to great success. Well, now that I’m older and more experienced, all I can say is “how right he was!” It never ceases to amaze me at the number of people that fail to deliver on their commitments. The old cliche of “over-promising and under-delivering” has sadly become all too commonplace in business. Is it really that hard to fulfill on promises made? So my question to you is this…Can you, and do you, walk the talk?

So inexorably interwoven into the fabric of today’s business culture is this trend of not following through, that I frequently observe people who have actually come to expect failure. Furthermore, when said failure occurs, it is often accepted as usual and customary practice. It is the failure to follow through that blows-up transactions, causes employees to seek work elsewhere, sends what were once loyal customers running to the competition, and it can send even the strongest of brands into decline.

Failure is not necessarily a bad thing in and of itself. In fact, I have always learned more from my failures than I have my successes. However accepting failure, not learning from failure, or failing through apathy or ignorance are all corporate killers. As a person in a position of authority, make sure that you set the chinning bar very high. Expect great things of people, equip them to succeed, and work through challenges and conflicts.  When the inevitable failures do occur, conduct a failure analysis to determine what went wrong and why, then transfer the knowledge gained across the enterprise, and move on to more fertile ground.

Some people don’t follow through simply because they are lazy, and it is just easier to deal with the consequences of not following through than it is to actually invest the effort in getting the job done. Have you ever experienced the individuals who just tell you what they think you want to hear? These people fall into two distinct categories. The first category is the people-pleaser. These individuals don’t like conflict, and will say or do just about anything to avoid it. They believe if they tell you what you want to hear long enough that it will either come true or that you’ll just go away, and either one is okay by them. The second category is comprised of the darker side of business. These are the individuals that will say or do anything to initially get your business, but once they have separated you from your money they could care less about what was said before the sale. In either case (well intentioned or otherwise) beware of those individuals that appear to be just saying what you want to hear as trouble will surely follow.

Keep in mind that promises made are meaningless, promises broken are costly, and promises kept are invaluable. You see, all it really takes to stand out in today’s business world is to  just do what you say you’ll do. It doesn’t matter where you went to school, how smart you are, what your title is, or any number of other considerations. If you want to succeed, learn to honor your commitments and execute. I am a perfect example of someone who has probably achieved more success in business than deserved by simply doing nothing more than honoring my commitments. I say what I mean, I mean what I say, and I do what I say I’m going to do. It is just not that hard to follow through.