What's Your Refer-ability?

Part of building a solid foundation in business (building on the rock as they say!) is becoming referable; being referable means being someone others can trust. People want to work with those they know, like, and trust--period. A friend and fellow entrepreneur gave me a CD to listen to several months back from The Strategic Coach Program (http://strategiccoach.com/) he participated in. It mentioned certain "referability habits." It was exciting to see that these tenets are simplistic in nature but it is absolutely alarming how infrequently people comply with all four! How do you measure up?

For starters, do you show up on time for appointments? Having served with our nation's best in the United States Air Force this was definitely a priority. Timeliness was of utmost importance so much so that one of my Air Force Academy cadre felt compelled to share this simple little phrase I have long committed to memory: "If you aren't five minutes early, you're already late." I do my best to be on time but I must say that when you attend recurring organizational meetings where the general trend is to start 15 minutes late it degrades your desire to "set the standard" by being prompt and ready to go. So leaders, be prompt. It shows you respect your subordinates as well as yourself. If you are running behind let people know; they will appreciate you all the more!

Next, do you do what you say you are going to do? This one I watch with the intensity of a lioness protecting her newborn cubs. To be honest, women are fond of keeping tabs on this particular tenet in order to amass ample fodder for future arguments with their unsuspecting spouse or significant other. Admit it ladies, you know who you are (I'm guilty as charged myself). When your husband says he'll be home in 30 minutes you studiously watch as each second ticks by and the moment he goes over you know you've got him! Dinner and a movie, flowers at the least... you can squeeze him for all he's got! But, I digress... in short, do what you say you are going to do whether it's meeting a sales quota or meeting a friend for lunch, plain and simple. And like our running behind example, if you know you won't be able to meet quota pipe up early. Bad news is made worse when it's given at the last minute!

Moving right along... do you finish what you start? Eeek! OK, I'm doing better at this one but I do have a propensity for starting projects, endeavors, business opportunities and not necessarily seeing them all through. But don't misunderstand finishing what you start for going down with the ship. Set a timetable and if your new endeavor isn't panning out and you're not meeting your predetermined milestones then it's OK to move on to greener pastures. Nothing personal, just business baby!

And lastly, mothers of the world will rejoice if you can say you follow this last tenet. We should have learned this lesson before we were potty trained: Do you say please and thank you? Can you believe it?! So simple! Yet so many people fail to do this little task and insert a few words that go such a long way toward showing people you respect them and care about the relationship you are building, business or personal. Leaders, say please and thank you instead of barking out orders to your subordinates; it humanizes you and you may actually encourage your worker bees to do a little more than just check the box.

So how did you stack up? The bottom line is be a person of your word and set the example for others to follow even if you're just an army of one to start. Also, do more than just follow the golden rule. Treat everyone better than you'd like to be treated and you'll be amazed at the results; people will bend over backwards to support you and refer you to their friends, family, and neighbors. Everyone wants to bet on a winner. Make sure you give them ample reason to!