On A Job Well Done

There are many things in life, and in business, that seem trivial on the surface. There are times when I find myself thinking about such things.

We wrapped up Q2 and in reflecting on the time spent I was thinking about some of the compliments we received from our clients. Everyone appreciates and is capable of receiving a compliment. But one thing that strikes me every time is that it takes a special person to deliver a compliment.

Something new that struck me as I was thinking about compliments was the fact that they are historical, meaning that they are based on past behavior or performance. This was interesting to me because while it is true that compliments are based on the past, or what’s known, the recipient of a compliment is affected in the present and into the future. Seem trivial enough?

This is idea that compliments are delivered based on the past, received in the present, with affects on the future is intriguing to me in more ways that I’ll share here. But one business relevance I’ve discovered about compliments is that as professionals, team members, business owners, we need to understand that compliments have little to no bearing on the future.

Here’s what I mean: As a professional and a business owner, I receive compliments from our clients on the services we deliver and I appreciate them greatly. But what’s important for me to understand about compliments is that they are based on what was accomplished (past tense) and that I / we still have a duty and an obligation to deliver on expectations again tomorrow. To put it simply, compliments have no bearing on tomorrow. We still have a job to do, services to deliver, expectations to meet, tomorrow. Compliments don’t lessen or remove those expectations and that’s important to understand.

Receive your compliments well, appreciate them, and be sure to thank the special person who delivers one to you. And understand that tomorrow is a new day.