Unacceptable is a very clear word to me.  An unacceptable circumstance is intolerable for business or customers. I’ve used an auto repair shop that’s convenient, reasonable in cost, and has an owner I believe is ethical.  However for six weeks, their phone system hasn’t worked properly. When I call and no one picks up the call, it goes to voicemail except you cannot leave a message on any of the extensions. I brought this situation to the owner and manager on several occasions.  Clearly this is extremely frustrating because I can’t get through to make an appointment to bring my car in.  Or if my car is in the shop, I can’t find out if it’s ready.

I reached a point in my business career when a terrifying thought struck me:  I had become overhead. In the past my positions focused on direct work with customers or clients that brought in revenue. However, my administrative responsibilities were focused elsewhere. When I grasped the implications of what it meant that I no longer generated income for the company, I took two major steps to maximize my situation.

I enforce deadlines that I receive from others as well as those I make for  myself. Frequently, others are not as committed to meeting deadlines. At one point in my career “Rick” worked for me. The quality of his work was excellent, and he was very good with customer relationships. Unfortunately Rick was perpetually late with everything including client appointments.  Regrettably, Rick needed to be let go because his failure to consistently meet deadlines destroyed the effectiveness of his other excellent traits.

Regular readers will know that I stress certain keys to success. They are to do what you say you will do, do it at the price you agreed to and deliver on time. All of us experience time pressures and can easily allow commitments and projects to slip. Then, we either deliver them late or go back to the customer and ask for more money or time to complete the work. What we failed to understand about the project cost the customer more than it should have.

“Adam” worked for a family manufacturing business. Recently Adam was given the responsibility for purchasing. Because the business was small, he also had other responsibilities.  The manufacturing process used a lot of different types of materials. Sales people were always calling on him, absorbing a lot of his time, and returning little benefit. He asked me for help to improve the process.