The Question of Habit
How many rhythms do you have that you don’t even think about anymore? How much has become “automatic” in your business, or even your personal time. We wake up, brew the Folgers and drink it, not even thinking about whether or not the coffee we choose or the amount we drink is really right for us, we just do it out of habit.
Maybe this is a good time to stop and wonder if there’s a better way, if the “Folgers” routine is still the best for you, for your business, for the clients you serve every day. It helps to pause and at least ask yourself the question every once in a while.
Loyalty vs Complacency
This all comes from a recent conversation we were having internally. When is loyalty just complacency? We do something because it’s easy, not because we really believe in it. Think about your relationships too, how often are you relying on the devil you know rather than taking the hand of the angel standing right there, so to speak. We call it “loyalty” but really, we don’t like working with person x, or shopping at store z, we just do it because we can’t be bothered to change. Complacency might be too soft, “apathy” might be a better word for it, an uncaring attitude.
Loyalty, on the other hand, is a wonderful thing. It exists as a result of our actions following our beliefs. We are loyal to people when we really deeply value the same things they value and share a relationship around that fruitful alignment. Loyalty is a pretty big gift to give, so if we squander it via apathy, we are wasting the magnitude of our ability to reward people with our loyalty. It’s like tipping your waiter extra for bad service, it’s misplaced power.
Chris B. said it like this, “I wouldn’t send my brother business if I didn’t like working with him.” We can love people, but we don’t have to reward them with unrequited loyalty if they are not good at that specific area of expertise. Be loyal to your brother as your brother, but that doesn’t mean he’s the one you rely on for any particular skill, instead, you place trust in people who have the competence as well as the relational equity.
Points of Change
Ok, at this point in the conversation, we’re feeling caught in the middle. We want to be loyal, we want to be intentional, so what’s the first step? How can I begin to catch myself slipping into apathetic business routines?
Instead of asking, “what’s the easiest way to do this?” Start with the question, “What serves my client best right now?”
Sometimes it’s pushing the easy-button, rolling on the routine, but other times, it’s going the extra step. It may require some exploration or a little bit of change on your part. But the attitude of serving others puts us in a posture of readiness and conviction. Now, when someone asks why we made a decision, or chose to work with one company over another our answer has confidence and authority rather than, “Oh, that’s just what I always do.”
*As a side-note, this is completely relevant to real estate brokers, salespersons and anyone in the real estate business who is looking for a competitive “edge”. Buyers and sellers cannot initially tell the worst from the best in this industry, and a little reputation goes a very long way in making inroads in this crowded marketplace. Who would you hire, someone who’s apathetic and stuck in their own rut, or someone dynamic who sees loyalty as a core value and chooses who they work with intentionally?
When we lead with real, intentional loyalty, we’re teaching our clients how to be loyal too. Who doesn’t want a loyal client?
That’s title delivered simply, through modern systems.
Get back to the calm, shall we? Isn’t that why we all live here? To get a feel for who we are, give us a ring or schedule a time to come by and see how the sausage is made. We’re right in the center of town, on the 2nd floor of the Chase Bank building. Some of you may remember, this is a great place to have a title office