Blueprint to Business

CHAPTER 9Do What You Say

In business and in life, always do what you say you're going to do. Keep your word. When you tell yourself that you're going to do something, and you don't do it, you're doing yourself a disservice, and you're setting yourself back. The easiest person to lie to is yourself. People do it every single day. Not following through on something you said you were going to do is an absolute travesty. It's a travesty not only for you individually, but also for the people around you.

IN BUSINESS

What do successful people do? They do what they say they're going to do. One of my biggest pet peeves is when someone says, “Mike, I'm going to get this done for you, and you're going to have it on Monday at 9 a.m.” Well, if you tell me that you're going to have something done for me Monday, at 9 a.m., when should I expect it? I should expect it at 9 a.m. The challenge is that in corporate America and people's personal lives, people fall short. They overpromise and underperform.

If you say you're going to do something, or provide a service, or be somewhere, or produce something at a particular time, make sure the time you give is accurate. Make sure that what you've promised is accurate as well.

People talk about a valuable final product (VFP), right? If you tell me, “Hey, Mike, I'm going to get you your book cover tomorrow,” even though tomorrow is Saturday, and then, “I'll get it to you 10:00 tomorrow,” what am I expecting? I'm expecting that I'm going to get it ...