Thursday
Jan312008
I promise I will...
Thursday, January 31, 2008 at 4:41PM - ...not try to sell you
- I will look for ways to help you, esp. before we work together (if ever)
- ...not work with you if I don't think I can help
- and I'll be very clear about it, even if we disagree
- ...not worry about "giving away the farm" to you
- I know that sharing genuinely useful information always pays off
- ...be genuinely curious about your work
- and have fun getting to know you
- ...continually absorb and synthesize the best ideas from my field
- and share them freely with you
- ...respect you, your work, your organization
- no exceptions
- ...treat our relationship as confidential
- no exceptions
- ...be attuned to where we are in the process
- and we'll change gears or take a short walk
- ...notice anything that may hamper our project
- and tell you immediately
- ...give you every reason to trust me
- and no reasons not to
- ...take responsibility for my mistakes
- and apologize with humility
- ...see opportunities to apply my skills, knowledge, and experience to help you
- regardless of where that ends up being
- ...support and encourage you during our project
- and long after
- ...not judge where your self management skills currently are
- hey - we've none of us been taught this stuff
- ...push back when needed
- but tactfully and within reason
- ...sometimes send bulky bumpy delightful packages
- :-)
Reader Comments (8)
I think it is a real testament to your integrity that you got me to click on "bulky," "bumpy," "delightful" AND "packages!" ;-)
In all seriousness, I think these are good rules to apply in our social interactions as well.
Thanks a bunch, Rebecca.
Hey, you've got a very cool [ profession | http://www.blogger.com/profile/02356712338959918065 ]: [ Musicologist! | http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musicology ]
These promises would look really nice hanging on the wall of offices around the city. Sometimes, we need a little nudge. A little push to show us that some things in life are necessary. That we should look at situations with practicality and yet not compromise our own values.
Much appreciated, Jay. I wasn't trying to be too gushy - I had just had a realization that there's much more to my work (and I what I give to my clients) than the "technical" side of personal productivity (much of what I write about here). There are lots of fine bloggers about the topic, but I think very few of them speak from the perspective of teaching it to others as a profession...
Hey - Thanks for the pointer to [ Google Matt Cutts Gives Tips to Small Business Owners | http://www.memberspeed.com/blog/seo/googles-matt-cutts-gives-tips-to-small-business-owners ] .
Very nicely put. May I borrow and adapt it for personal use, as a checklist to look at when approaching a client?
Hey Tim - thanks for asking. Sure you can use it. I built it up from others, of course.
A bit late, but I only just found this. That is a beautiful ideology (I'm not smart so I hope thats the right word), and one that many people could incorporate into their lives, both professional and personal, and experience vast improvement. I know I could. But sometimes an ideology is not enough. Unfortunately the organisation I last worked for had similar "brand values", but truly not one member of management I had any dealings with truly lived them. It was a shame, because with a little more of living these, that place could have been heaven to work for, as it turned out, it was no great concern to walk away.
The Addict - I completely agree re: talk vs. walk. From what I've heard from others, the organization has to have deep and continuous buy-in at all levels, and that includes getting every person really thinking about her job, and how it directly relates to the organization's goals.
One book you might find relevant is [ The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement | http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0884271781?ie=UTF8&tag=masidbl-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0884271781 ]. It talks about this...
Thanks very much for the comment.