Be So Good They Can’t Ignore You

Be so good they can’t ignore you.

– Steve Martin

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The “good” found in Martin’s quote is a relative word. Its definition varies by the person using the saying. In my mind, though, the “good” to which he refers has a close kinship with integrity.

Integrity, like the word “good,” can mean many things. The way I use it refers to both the work I produce as well as how I produce it. The word also entails how I treat clients, collaborators, friends, and family. Integrity is interwoven into everything I do. It isn’t some idealogical goal or ideal. It is.

The Work I Do

I believe in giving people my best work both with the content that’s here on the blog and with the work I do for others. It’s why the posts published here go through an editorial process. It’s why I double and sometimes triple check the work I submit to others. I am to do all this work without complaining (even if I sometimes do).

How I Produce the Work

When I begin work with a new client, I outline the process for the work. I don’t use smoke and mirrors. Editing and copywriting aren’t mystical processes. They have steps to them, and those steps should be shared. My clients should know what I’m doing or proposing to do. They also should be kept abreast of the work as it is being done; I know how dangerous assumptions are, and I want to keep both the assumptions and sometimes the worry at bay.

I also set deadlines and strive to beat them. One might call it my competitive nature coming into play, but I think it’s more my way of creating a buffer. I know how life likes to interrupt. Thus, I give the client a firm deadline, and I give myself a soft one. I then strive to meet or beat both the stated and unstated dates.

How I Treat Others

My work matters nothing if I treat people poorly. Slighting friends or abusing people because I’ve had a bad day or am busy casts a pall on me not merely as a business owner but also as a human being, and it raises questions about the work I do. How can I be expected to understand clients’ problems if I’m running over them and their concerns? How can I help a writer communicate his or her vision if I’m occupied with my own? I can’t. Kindness and listening matter.

That’s how I strive to be so good that people can’t ignore me. How about you?

Image: Freaktography (CC BY 2.0)