3
O P I N I O N
From last to first Serving others before serving yourself sounds noble, but if you are low on your own priority list, it’ll show in poor performance.
I f you’re a fellow frequent traveler, you’ve probably heard the safety announcement that tells you that if the cabin loses pressure, you need to put your own mask on before helping others.
I used to bristle at that. I’m very much a “myself last” thinker. But after multiple flights per week for month after month, I’m learning the wisdom of the boarding announcement. When we put ourselves last and agree to too many red-eye flights – meetings that occur too early or too late – or project deadlines that we know full well are unreasonable and will cause us to miss important family events, are we really giving our clients what they expect from us? My A-game is markedly different than my C-game, as I’m sure yours is. So here’s the big question: Are we really able to take care of others if we aren’t establishing a minimum standard for ourselves? We recently did a client perception study as part of a strategy engagement. The firm received a comment from their client that hit far too close to home. The client said, basically, although the client greatly appreciates the firm’s absolute commitment to deadlines, “Turning in hastily- finished work ‘on time’ is not what we signed up for. Deadlines are important, but if we can’t move
forward with your plans as delivered, you haven’t met the deadline anyway.” “My A-game is markedly different than my C-game, as I’m sure yours is. So here’s the big question: Are we really able to take care of others if we aren’t establishing a minimum standard for ourselves?” Meeting a deadline by submitting sub-par – or even average – work is not meeting a deadline, as the client points out. Your clients expect the standard of work that you sold to them when you won the job, and on the deadlines you set. If the deadline is no longer attainable, communicate with your client. Tell them what has changed (or
Jamie Claire Kiser
See JAMIE CLAIRE KISER, page 4
THE ZWEIG LETTER July 10, 2017, ISSUE 1207
Made with FlippingBook Annual report