Make Room To Be Predictable
There is one thing that is increasingly causing people to stand out. It has been a surprise to me just how much this one thing has differentiated people and advanced them in their careers and relationships. And it doesn't seem like it should be this special, but more and more it is.
Be the person who does what they say they are going to do—every time.
When selling private jets for Warren Buffett in my twenties, I was the company's youngest Vice President of Sales. I was brand new to this kind of sales process and knew I had a short period of time to prove I belonged amongst the legendary sales executives I was joining. I mean Jesse Itzler was my boss for crying out loud.
On an October Monday morning, I logged into our CRM and saw a new lead waiting for me - the best way to start a week.
I reached out immediately to follow up on the interest that this new lead had expressed in flying with us and was surprised that this particular person answered their own phone. After an engaging conversation, he told me that this was the information he needed and asked me to call him back a month after his season was over. I told him that a month from now would be November 11th and that I would call him at 11:11 am just to make it easy for us both to remember to follow through on our intentions.
On 11/11 at 11:11 am I called him again. Before I said a thing, he said,
"You actually did it. I was hoping you would. Send the contract."
It was the fastest closing call I've ever been on.
In the next stage of my career, leading sales and partnerships for tech startups, I found out just how valuable it was for me to be able to tell my team and my investors how much revenue we were going to hit each month, quarter, and year. Becoming known as the founder who would hit my projections became a calling card I was proud to have.
Working with some incredible technical leaders in the next stage of my career building companies, the ones I valued the most were the ones who could tell me how long it would take to build something and then deliver on that timeline. This allowed the rest of the company to sell against that timeline and launch new campaigns confidently across PR and marketing.
Entire groups of people are judged by how consistently they show up the way they say they will. I gave a guest lecture at a business school last year and was out to lunch with the school's dean afterward. He told me that their school had recently been paid a very high compliment by the head of recruiting for a well-known bank. The recruiter said their firm had recently quit recruiting at several rival schools because the students from those schools had a very low SAY/DO ratio.
What's my SAY/DO Ratio?
Of all the things I say, how often am I following through?
How can I be even more predictable in how I show up for my friends, family, and professional world?
In a very noisy world where a lot of things are said, how do we continue to show up as those who don't just say but do?
Being predictable is often thought of as boring or as lacking creativity, but I think Gustave Flaubert said it best:
"Be regular and orderly in your life so you may be violent and original in your work."
The more predictability you build into the pedestrian parts of your life, the more variety you'll have the capacity for.
For almost 15 years, I made what I wore professionally so incredibly boring. I wore the same thing every single day with few expectations. But that was an entire part of my daily routine that I gave zero thought to. I picked the pocket square and then the shirt and jacket that went best with it. Then I put on my Levis and my cowboy boots.
I am working on bringing more predictability to my behind-the-scenes parts of life. Some fantastically unpredictable things are happening in other areas of my life, and I need all of my creative and creating energy to go to that part of my portfolio, not to the things that can be controlled and predictable.
With so many things beyond our control, make sure you control the things you can and leave capacity for the inevitable bobbing and weaving that will come from the things you can't.
The Summer Set You Need To Stream
I saw this artist at Burning Man 2019 and have loved his one-man sets online ever since. The visuals on this set are just incredible thanks to Cercle.
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"Do you want to commit a revolutionary act? Feel some shit." - Jared Glenn, at his book signing in NYC
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Zachary Karabell
Zachary is an incredible writer and friend. He is constantly facing the insanity of reality head on and helping us all think about what might go right.
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In a recent podcast interview, I shared a tough story about losing a friend and mentor and its effect on my company. The host's face says it all.
I hope your summer is finishing the way you need it to.
For those of you having a hard time, let me know if I can do something to be helpful.
Stay curious my friends,
Andy
