Rogers Hornsby, who averaged hitting .400 over five years, was facing a rookie pitcher who threw three pitches that he thought were strikes but that the umpire called balls. The rookie shouted a complaint to the umpire, who replied: "Young man, when you throw a strike, Mr. Hornsby will let you know."
What made the umpire so trust Hornsby’s judgment about what was a strike and what was a ball? Because Hornsby had earned the umpire’s trust for consistently making excellent choices year in and year out.1
At Crossroads Business Solutions (XRBS), we have three core values: Trust, Respect, and Value. We chose these because we feel they are at the foundation of every relationship; Professional or Personal.
While we may not understand the jargon or “techno-babble” of a given industry, the actions that strengthen or weaken Trust and Respect are universal. Making commitments and upholding them; speaking with frank honesty – even through the tough messages; and/or making recommendations based on the way we would act (or spend) ourselves; these are essential in strengthening Trust. Staying calm, cool, and professional in the face of high emotions or adversity is crucial to earning and maintaining Respect.
At XRBS, we say Trust is earned through what you do, and Respect is earned by how you do it.
The third element in maintaining strong relationships is Value. This value of a healthy relationship is slightly more specific for business relationships (compared to personal). In healthy business relationships, there is a clear value in the product or service provided or consumed, and the associated payment. If our product or service maintains a high value and if payments arrive within expected timeframes – mutual value exists. If either side of the relationship falters on their value proposition, the business relationship will suffer.
In a strong relationship, both parties are working to ensure their value proposition stays strong without the need for notification from the other party. In a strained relationship, one or both parties feel the need to occasionally remind each other of any diminishing value. In a lost relationship, one or both parties frequently don’t think beyond their own needs.
By taking a few moments to consider what makes relationships strong, we can ensure the relationships that we are in with our vendors, clients, or even our personal relationships are not strong by accident or hope, but rather strong by our effort to make them so.
1. All Pro Dads daily update (http://www.allprodad.com/pod/viewplayoftheday.php?date_pod=2011-02-21)
