Trending
I didn’t have to. Because I had the extraordinary gift of early college mentors who helped me grasp that relationships are vastly important. By the time I launched my own company, I had 15 years invested into a solid network of relationships and contacts. That’s worth gold.
Be reliable.
People hate other flaky people. If you promise you’ll do something, do it. If you say you’ll be somewhere, be there. And when life happens, communicate clearly so people know you value the relationship even though your plans changed. Running late? Send a text. Need an extra day on the project? Drop an email so they can plan for it.
When you screw up, take ownership and make it right. When people know they can rely on you, you become a trusted asset — even though you make mistakes now and then.
Be humble.
Make yourself indispensable.
Think of yourself as totally dispensable.
The moment you start to believe they can’t survive without you, your attitude changes and people can tell. You may well be the backbone of the entire team, but there’s no reason to flaunt it. Stay rooted in humility, without losing confidence.
Be excellent.
Excellence is more than just job performance. Excellence doesn’t mean you’ll never make a mistake. It just means that you never settle for mediocre when you know you can do better. Being excellent also flows into how you work through tough challenges (resourcefulness) , how you treat people (relationality) , how you manage shifting priorities (reliability) , and how you handle your own success (humility) .
Be resourceful.
Be relational.
Be reliable.
Be humble.
Be excellent.
In short, if you’re a young entrepreneur or business leader and you dream of long-term success: take purposeful care of your relationships and your reputation.
Combine quality character with business savvy, and clients will clamor to work with you.