Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
Ever heard that saying “Do what I say, not what I do?” It drives me crazy.
When I worked in satellite television, it was a favorite saying of my boss. Actually it was, “I’m a VP. Your job is to ensure the staff do what I say, not what I do.” GRRRR, it’s one of the million+ reasons I’m thrilled to own a business and be able to work with a team and clients that I like and respect.
This saying came up on a conversation with a private client yesterday. She was remarking how a colleague teaches A yet does B and how she’s lost respect for her as a result.
Some examples of things in which many say one thing yet do another:
- Sending last-minute “special pricing ends” emails on weekends after encouraging readers to “go screen-free” each weekend (note I unsubscribed from 3 email lists recently just for this).
- Telling readers to “market with integrity” and then using false scarcity to try and fill programs.
- Preaching “charge what you’re worth” and griping when a team member raises their fees (just happened to a client who instituted her first rate increase in 5 years). She released that client and another signed with her who recognized the value and was happy to invest with her.
- Writing about “respect your team and treat them well” and then texting them at all hours expecting a response and getting angry when one doesn’t immediately happen — a former client reached out to share that she just released her largest client for this reason and her business is brimming with a whole new energy.
- Requiring clients to pay up front and being late on paying invoices. Enough said on this one.
Are there any places in your business where you’re not walking your talk? I’ve found a couple in mine where a process I thought was in place had fallen by the wayside. We’re remedying that now. 🙂