Soul Proprietor - Possibly High Standards

Years ago, I attended a lecture that went sideways. The speaker was woefully unprepared and it showed. She meandered around the topic and droned on and on. It almost seemed like she didn’t know her own material or threw it together at the last minute. People became bored and a few even left the room.

It was painful.

When someone asked what I thought, I remarked that it was a poor presentation and that she needed some polishing. I later heard through the grapevine that a few people were offended by my opinion and thought my standards were “too high”. Really? Because I expect professionalism when I attend a lecture?

Why it is frowned upon to have high standards?

For example, if someone invites you to participate in a joint venture or an event, do you say yes to every single one – even those that seem amateur or disorganized?

Or how about this: you’ve hired someone for a job but their work is sloppy and late. Do you give them a pass and think “well, they are trying their best.”

Or imagine this scenario: you’re working with colleague who doesn’t bother to return your emails in a timely manner, if at all. They go incommunicado and then blame this on some bullshit problem or being “overwhelmed”. Is this good enough? Are you willing to accept that?

Perhaps you’ve never had to deal with those situations but I know many entrepreneurs who have. They’ve accepted botched work, excuses galore, and dodgy communication from colleagues or employees. Or they’ve participated in low-rent joint ventures or events that did nothing for them.

Usually it’s because they felt guilty about saying no or asking for more. They didn’t want to seem like a “diva” or a bitch. Sometimes it came out of a scarcity thing – “what if nothing better comes along?!”

So they lowered their standards and accepted subpar conditions and then “niced” themselves into a corner. (You know what follows next: regret and resentment. Ugh.)

Good enough is not good enough – and it’s time we stopped apologizing for wanting quality. We need to get over worrying about whether people will think we’re “too big for our britches” when we say no thanks.

Hear this mantra: you do not have to accept the unacceptable or say yes to things that feel lame or inferior.

While I’m known to be low-brow in my humor and my questionable tastes in wee plastic animals and hippo cookies, there are certain professional standards that are important to me:

I won’t say yes to events that are poorly run – or in a location that doesn’t excite me. No to events in rural areas or that require “roughing it”. Wifi is a must.
I only hire people who are prompt. Lateness is a huge no-no for me.
No communication? We no longer work together. If you cannot manage to send an email in an appropriate time frame, I can’t take you seriously.
No to joint ventures or “list building” events where I’m given a massive list of promotional crap I don’t want to do – or that might offend/bother my clients.

Sound unreasonable? It may be for some. But for me, these are standards that are important. I want to feel good in my business.

But it also means that if I want those standards met, I must also meet them at that same level in my own business.

Which means:

Showing up and being reliable.
Answering emails quickly.
Preparing for lectures, classes and events so that I am on point.
Taking good care of my clients and colleagues when they are in my hands.
Follow through. All the way to the end.
Not participating in anything (or working with anyone) that does not seem like a right fit – and not feeling bad about that.
Being as gracious as possible, always.

If you want quality, start by being the example you want to see. Elevate your actions and your brand. Uplevel it all the way, baby. A well-run business lets your clients and colleagues know that you’re a pro who can be trusted. Be that + insist on that.

No apologies necessary.

“Just because she has high standards doesn’t mean she’s high maintenance. Don’t confuse the two.” ~ Steve Maraboli

Blessings,

Theresa