Have a bit of backbone..

Keep your commitments so others can count on you. In this video from 2010, I’m hoarse after an interview, but the experience makes me reflect on how much reliability matters in business.

Keep your commitments: Others have planned around you

I could have suggested rescheduling the interview, but we had an agreement. That became the starting point for a conversation about the qualities that had helped me as an entrepreneur and speaker.

I say that, at the time, I couldn’t remember cancelling a talk or being late. I took it seriously because the organiser and audience had set aside time.

I tried to arrive in good time. That gave me a buffer if something happened to the car or on the road. That preparation was part of delivering what I’d promised.

A personal story about following through

I talk about a speaking engagement in Skanderborg where I was ill but still took the train and delivered the talk. Afterwards, I was completely finished.

It’s my own experience and my view at the time. I also say in the video that, of course, there can be situations where you’re too ill to honour a commitment.

Reliability becomes part of your reputation

I’d also seen speakers cancel shortly before an event. If that happens repeatedly, it becomes hard for others to trust that you’ll turn up.

For me, reliability was part of the value I delivered. You’re not just selling what you can do on stage, but also the reassurance that you’ll turn up prepared. I tell my own story as an entrepreneur in Iværksætter til jeg dør.

That was the point I wanted to make: Think about the people counting on you, and take it seriously when you say yes to something.

And thanks to Alt Andet Lige for the teddy bear, T-shirt and other things. 🙂

A teddy bear from Alt Andet Lige and a hoarse voice

I begin the video by showing a teddy bear I’ve just received from the people behind Alt Andet Lige. I haven’t properly looked into what their website is about yet, but thanks for it.

It’s part of people being able to send me T-shirts, caps and strange things here in Boca. Then I can choose to wear a T-shirt, show a teddy bear or say thanks for some good sweets. I don’t get paid for it. It’s just fun.

Perhaps I’ll eventually pass much of it on to homeless people over here. I’ll work that out when the time comes. My daughter gets the teddy bear, though, and I can’t keep away from the sweets. If I remember, I’ll put the address below; otherwise, you’ll find it in an earlier post.

You can probably hear I’m hoarse. Honestly, I don’t feel particularly well. I’ve got a runny nose and a bit of a sore throat.

The interview could have been postponed

I gave an interview that day to someone working on a book about entrepreneurship. We talked about entrepreneurial qualities, and he could hear I was hoarse. He said we could have postponed the conversation.

Yes, but we’d agreed to do it today, I replied. It made me think about something I’ve actually had good success with: Keeping commitments, even when it’s inconvenient or I’m ill.

Part of my fee is that I turn up

I’m a relatively expensive speaker. There are several reasons for that. I think I’m good at giving talks, I enjoy it, and I have ways of engaging people that make it interesting.

But one reason I’m also well paid is that I turn up. In the video, I say I’ve never cancelled a talk and never arrived late. At least not as far as I can remember. If anyone remembers otherwise, they can correct me.

I also make sure there’s time for something to go wrong. If something happens to the car, for example, there needs to be a buffer so I have time to do something about it.

A temperature of 39°C and 400–500 students in Skanderborg

I remember a talk in Skanderborg for 400–500 business college students. I had a temperature of 39°C and felt unbelievably ill. But I’d made the commitment, so I got on the train there.

On the platform, I bought two energy drinks and some glucose tablets. I knocked it all back, went on stage and gave an hour-and-a-half talk at full throttle. Nobody noticed I was ill.

I went out again, said thank you and took the train home. On the train, I more or less passed out. It’s a story about what I did back then.

Could I have cancelled? Yes, easily. It would have been a valid reason too. You can’t control illness, and of course there can be times when you’re so ill you can’t do it. I say that in the video as well.

My consideration is that other people have planned around you. So I ask myself whether I can actually deliver what I’ve promised.

My friend went on stage after a motorcycle accident

I also talk about a friend who was due to speak to 300–400 people. It mattered a lot both to his business and to those attending.

He had a motorcycle crash in Morocco. As I recount it in the video, he broke both arms, suffered compressed ribs and a fractured skull, and had been unconscious. He was flown by helicopter to a local hospital. I also describe how, when he broke his fall, the bones in his arms came out through his hands.

About ten days later, he still went on stage. He had to bring people up to help him with various things. Clearly, he wasn’t at his best after that experience.

He also had the attitude: If you’ve said yes, you’ve said yes. But I also say that perhaps it was taking things too far. The example shows how strongly he felt about the commitment; it doesn’t mean there is never a limit.

A late cancellation can cost you other people’s trust

My point applies to both speaking engagements and other business. It affects people when you let them down, arrive late or don’t turn up at all.

I know of speakers who’ve repeatedly called half an hour before a talk to say they’re ill and won’t be coming. They may well be ill. But they probably had a chance to know that a little earlier too.

Someone like that won’t be in much demand. It doesn’t take long for speaking agents to realise they can’t trust the person to turn up.

That’s my finger-wagging message for the day in 2010: Are you too ill to do it, or could you actually honour the commitment? If you’re ill, you should of course look after yourself. But also think about your obligations to those counting on you. I’ve placed great importance on delivering, then looking after myself afterwards.

Best wishes, Martin