"MAY I DEAL WITH HONOR. MAY I ACT WITH COURAGE. MAY I ACHIEVE HUMILITY."
This statement puts into words some guidelines about relationships with people--yourself and others.
Consider Honor--Most of us expect a business person to deal with us fairly and honestly. We expect them to deliver on their promises. We expect them to give us all the information we need to make an informed decision. We expect the "fine print" to be limited and explained to us. If we have a problem, we expect the problem to be fixed promptly or an appropriate adjustment to be made. These kinds of actions reflect a sense of honor and fairness. We as customers expect dealers to treat us this way. But what about when we are the dealer? Do we still have that same sense of honor?
When a customer has a question about our product or a problem with a particular order, how do we respond? Do we see the opportunity to build the relationship? Do we worry about the expense that isn't in the budget for this month? Do we start to question the education and heritage of the person concerned?
The simple dollars and cents fact is that it's easier and cheaper to keep the customers you have than it is to gain new ones. It's also well known that word-of-mouth advertising is the most valuable kind. If you're known to deal honorably with all your customers, it will ultimately benefit your bottom line. I will take my business back to dealers where I have been treated honorably.
Consider Courage--We tend to think of courage as the absence of fear. That's not accurate. People who have no fear are either dead, or don't care about anything. Courage is control of fear. An ability to act in spite of fear. Launching into a business can be a scary thing. We face the fear and dive in anyway. That is courage.
We sometimes worry about what other people might think of us. If I point out to the customers that he made the error, will I lose him? Business in general has an element of risk. Dealing honorably with people sometimes means asking them or telling them things they don't want to hear. Honor sometimes has to risk a relationship in order to deal with that person in honor. Courage is doing the honorable thing, knowing that there is risk involved. The act of taking the risk, in the service of honor, is courage.
Consider Humility--Humility is also a concept that many of us do not understand. Humility is not about being a doormat. Humility is not about being a nobody. Humility is about being yourself. Period. Unvarnished, undecorated, just plain yourself, without hype or headlines. It's about not needing to prove anything to anyone. It's about being personally secure in your identity as a person. Humility doesn't flaunt itself, it simply is.
People who are around a humble person know that person's value and expertise, without having it hyped to them. The humble person doesn't have to prove himself or herself in order to feel accepted. Rather, the humble person is willing to let others discover for themselves their value. This means also letting a lot of people think that the humble person isn't much. A risk that requires courage.
Humility makes it much easier for a person to see the world around them because they aren't having to try to see past themselves. I am my own worst enemy and humility is the cure for that particular disease. When I'm not trying to get out of my own way, I have more energy to put into my business ventures, to achieve the success and profit that is the goal of any business.
Whatever your driving spirit, or ethos, may be and whatever words you might use to express it, I do hope that you will deal with honor, act with courage and achieve humility.
Dan Carr is a member of "The Revolution Team." To find out how to join "The Revolution Team" as a member of Dan's downline, simply call the 24-hour hotline for free information--(402) 465-3475, extension C1239.
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