Good Intentions Gone Wrong
Beware of advice that has lost its context, it may be more harmful than helpful
Want to succeed in business? Then “do what you say you would do.”
Sounds easy enough; right?
That’s because it’s so oversimplified it has become worthless advice.
It says nothing of capabilities.
It says nothing of expectations.
And without an emphasis on capabilities and expectations, you’re wasting your breath.
Context is critical for every bit of advice you consider.
Learning to filter out generic advice is a skill that will serve you well.
A Mostly Off-topic Story
This reminds me of a wedding I attended with my wife.
Many years ago. When we had just moved to North Carolina.
After growing up in northwestern Pennslyvania.
Where great traditional Italian food was available everywhere.
The mother of the groom waxed poetic about the tradition of Italian Wedding Soup.
It was a nice story.
Yet when we saw the soup, we felt embarrassed.
What they believed was Italian Wedding Soup was a lot of broth and a few tiny meatballs floating in it.
It was missing all the critical ingredients.
Feeling a bit snarky, I turned to my wife and asked her if they realized they were only working with half the recipe.
They had lost their context. Nearly all of it.
Let’s flip the script here.
What if instead of relying on “do what you said you would do”, you shared what you can reasonably do.
It’s an honest conversation.
One that ensures you are honest with your customer and yourself.
One that doesn’t have you overcommitting.
It will allow you to deliver a better outcome.
Without stressing over details you may not understand.
So, don’t fret over offering a buffet of services.
Start by delivering a single solution.
Hint: a service isn’t a solution, but a solution can consist of one or more services arranged in a valuable way.
A service could be “hammering” or “sawing” while a solution could be “framing a building”. Which one would you value more?
And offer that solution to a specific type of customer.
This will align with your current capabilities.
Plus set the right expectations with your customer.
Now “do what you say you would do” means a whole lot more.
It offers real context.