Jason has a line that we like to repeat around the office as often as people will listen … “trust is a difficult thing to build, and a really easy thing to lose.”
At IT Weapons we’ve cultivated a pretty valuable habit in our team; under-promise and over-deliver. In other words, never commit to more than we’re capable of, and always do a little more than what was expected. We are honest about deadlines, we are honest about costs, and so our team (I think) has become pretty good at managing client expectations accordingly. It takes work to find the balance that fits, but the result is priceless; we have loyal clients who trust us.
How does a manager, a leader, a colleague, or a friend keep these ideas part of their own operational culture? At ITW we do it through recapitulation, open dialogue, telling stories and sharing easy-to-digest pieces of insight (whether those are quotes from famous people, excerpts from books, or things overheard at a party). People relate to stories, they remember the lessons embedded, and they identify with and uphold promises that resonate for them. We figure that if we repeat the same kinds of insight and lessons in as many ways as possible … it will stick. And experience shows that it works.
Here are some of our favourite quotes, one-liners, and customer promises that we repeat in team meetings and share all over the place. We can’t take credit for writing any of them … and I encourage you to share them widely with your team.