Indispensable: How to Become the Company That Your Customers Can't Live Without

Chapter 15. Stop Apologizing—Start Doing Your Job

Measure Twice—Cut Once

We'd all do well to remember the old carpenter's saying of "measure twice, cut once" when it comes to creating consistency of performance. We're talking about the great brand builder here. Inconsistency of performance, on the other hand, is the great brand killer. If having a good experience with your company is a matter of how lucky I get in terms of which of your employees I encounter, then you've got a monster problem. The Driver of habitual dependency is the bedrock foundation on which becoming indispensable rests.

Suit Yourself

I got off my plane at the Springfield, Illinois, airport and headed for baggage claim. My hotel was near the airport, so I called them on the hotel display phone center and asked about the shuttle service. I needed to get to the hotel quickly, so I was fully prepared to take a taxi if the shuttle was going to be more than just a few minutes. No problem, I was assured by the hotel employee on the phone. The shuttle will be there in 10 minutes.

I go outside and wait at the shuttle pick-up area. Five minutes go by. Ten minutes go by. Fifteen minutes go by. I go back inside, call the hotel, and get the same employee on the phone. He says that the shuttle will be there in 10 minutes. I say that I can't wait any longer and will take a taxi. His reply was a sweet and simple, "Suit yourself."

A Pretty Good Shuttle Driver

When I arrived at the hotel I was, you might say, wound a bit tight. At ...