Okay, I don’t usually borrow post titles or topics from other people, but today I’ll make an exception. Amber Naslund (@ambercadabra in the Twitterverse) just posted a remarkably honest, human and pretty personal post on her blog in which she asked (and started answering) a very simple but important question: What won’t you compromise?
Well, I thought it would be fun to follow her example and a) pose the question to you guys (in case you missed Amber’s post) and b) answer it for myself, albeit a little more loosely: Instead of just things I won’t compromise, I also added a few things I won’t compromise on (which is a little bit different).
Here we go. In no particular order:
Professional integrity.
I have worked for two companies that employed deceptive practices. Once when I first started out in the business world, and again more recently. In both cases, the amount of time between the moment I was made aware of the shenanigans and my departure from that job was remarkably short. I don’t play those games.
I could have rationalized that the deceptive practices weren’t mine, that I didn’t even touch that side of the business, that it really had nothing to do with me. I could have also rationalized that I had mouths to feed, bills to pay, nice toys to buy, but excuses are just excuses. Excuses are compromises. You can rationalize your way into a world of shameless douchebaggery if you aren’t careful. Just don’t go there. Not even a little. Ever.
Trust.
Either I trust you or I don’t. It’s really that simple. I don’t have to like you, but I have to trust you. In friendship, in business, in cooking, in war… trust isn’t gray. Oh, and trust is always a two-way street. It’s the only way it works.
Sushi.
Old Japanese proverb: Beware yesterday’s sushi.
Loyalty.
I’m kind of like Amber on that one. I grew up watching musketeer movies and old Starsky & Hutch re-runs, so the buddy mechanics are burned into my brain. Loyalty is something I value above most virtues.
By loyalty though, I don’t mean easily given loyalties – like the ones expected of you by an employer or a coffee shop. I mean real loyalties. Ones that last. People looking after each other-type loyalties. I’ll come rescue you if you get kidnapped by the Taliban type loyalties. If you earn that level of loyalty from me, consider yourself lucky. I’ll never let you fall and I’ll never sell you out. There’s no compromise there.
Food.
You are what you eat. I’m not doing myself any good by putting crap into my body.
Effort.
I get paid the same whether I spend ten hours half-assing a project or ten hours rocking it like nobody’s business, so why in the world would I not go for the option that will produce the best possible outcome, make the client deliriously happy and make me look like a god? I have a reputation to preserve.
Heck, I have a reputation to purposely smash regularly and rebuild like Oscar Goldman did Steve Austin: Better, faster, stronger. If anything is worth doing, it is worth doing exceedingly well. (Or as Gary Vaynerchuck would say “crush it.”)
Clarity.
Say what you mean. Mean what you say. That is all.
Manners.
Either you have manners or you don’t. If you treat waitstaff like crap, you and I aren’t doing business. If you are rude to me or anyone in my circle, ditto. If you make fun of the French (for real, not just to mess with me), d-i-t-t-o.
I am pretty uncompromising when it comes to people acting like self-important pricks. Manners matter a lot to me. It’s the little things.
Olive Oil.
Extra virgin. No mas, no menos.
Goals. Targets. Objectives.
Once set, they’re set. You don’t lower them. You don’t stop until you achieve them. When it comes to hitting a target, there’s the bull’s eye, and then there’s not. People who sold you on the bull’s eye but then tell you why less is just as good when they can’t seem to hit it are full of crap.
If this is an area of frequent compromise for you, either learn how to set them, or learn how to hit them. Either way, there’s no alternative to delivering on your promise once you’re in play. Compromise can’t live here. Ever.
Running shoes.
They either work or they don’t. I don’t care how cool they look or what logo they sport. Once you’ve developed ITBS, you learn not to screw around with running shoes. Even when that cool blue pair is 50% off.
Seatbelts. Helmets. Eye protection. Body armor. Brain-Mouth filter.
Taking risks doesn’t mean being an idiot.
The English Language.
If I can become fluent, anyone can. And should. Grammar and spelling are not optional. (Inventing new words though, is perfectly acceptable. Recommended, even.)
If a language is worth speaking, it is worth speaking well.
Jeans. Suits. Dress shirts. Overcoats. Couture of all origins.
They must fit just right. There is no compromise here. (Not just saying that because I’m French. Style knows no borders.)
Credibility.
Like your virginity, you can really only lose it once. Credibility is one of the most underrated and overlooked elements of a reputation, yet… without it, nothing else matters: Not talent, not work ethic, not intelligence. Once people start second-guessing your insights, your motives, your decisions, you’re done.
Quality.
If I pay for it, I expect it. Likewise, if someone pays me well, I fully intend to give them their money’s worth.
The family honor.
Many died fighting for it. It isn’t crashing and burning on my watch.
National security.
Note to the TSA: Boarding a plane with a 4.6oz tube of toothpaste doesn’t count.
The blood feud you don’t yet know about.
There’s no compromise in a blood feud. Only escalation and the sweet sweet taste of revenge. (Kidding!!! … But… maybe not.)
Knots.
If you’re a sailor and/or a rock climber, you know this too. You just don’t half-ass knots.
Toilet paper.
This one should require no explanation.
My good name.
Actually, no… wait… Scratch that. Everyone knows I’m a scoundrel.
Self respect.
No job and no amount of money is worth allowing someone to treat you poorly. Getting yelled at and dragged through the mud is fine if you’re in the military. You volunteer for that and it’s part of the fun. But in the business world, if someone treats you badly, don’t you dare let them get away with it. Once it starts, you’re screwed.
Success.
(See “goals, targets, objectives” above.) Status quo outcomes are never successes, no matter how many mediocre managers and business executives try to convince you otherwise. There’s no compromise here: Success has a smell, a flavor, a feel. Success rocks. Success feels like a million bucks. Success is a slam-dunk high-five that makes everyone look on with envy. Success makes you feel like a kid on Christmas morning. Success is real and it’s earned and it doesn’t come to you without a hell of a fight. Compromise there, and you’re a chump. (One of the many reasons why measurement is important. It keeps bullsh*t at bay.)
Vision.
If you imagine the best, why settle for average?
Ever looked at the transition between concept cars and production cars and wonder… “what happened?! That concept car was cool! This thing looks nothing like it! “
Yeah, that’s the effect that compromise has on vision.
Do you think the iPhone’s design was a compromise? Do you think that a Canon L-series lens is a compromise? Do you think that a Moleskine notebook is a compromise? A Cartier Tank? An Yves St. Laurent blazer? A Cervelo bicycle? My grandmother’s chocolate mousse? The Virgin Airlines experience? The screenplay in a Pixar film?
Should vision be adaptable? Sure. Should it be fluid? Absolutely. But there is an enormous difference between fluidity and compromise. Some of it deals with the outcome, but a lot of it has to do with intent. And purpose. And relevance.
Compromise is sometimes necessary, even good – especially in matters of public policy – but in business, it often sucks. It’s interesting, when you think about it, that the larger the number of people affected by a compromise, the more benign its impact, but narrow your focus down to individuals, and compromise almost always ends up in the negative column.
A compromise basically means that you gave up on getting the full monty and settled for less than ideal. Next thing you know, your diet is a compromise. Your relationship is a compromise. Your job is a compromise. Your car. Your wardrobe. Your career. Everything from your Saturday afternoon to your political beliefs, they all become compromises.
Some things are too important. Some things deserve champions, not compromises. Some things deserve to be seen through all the way, no matter how hard, no matter what the obstacles. And yeah, everyone can be a champion for something. Everyone should be. An idea, a product, a virtue, a cause… It doesn’t matter. It’s up to you.
Cultures of compromise typically don’t breed much aside from maybe mediocrity.
Chew on that for a few minutes. It’ll be well worth your while.
So… what’s on your list?
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Love this post, Olivier – kind of gives us a deeper peak at the psyche of one, Mr. Blanchard ๐
– Trust
– Focus/Goals
– Electronics
– Morals
– Lifestyle
Just to name a few – definitely something I need to chew on further and maybe build a post of my own ๐
Ah, electronics! Good one. I keep having to compromise in my choices of electronics: My blackberry storm because I am with Verizon, my PC laptops because switching to Mac at this point would be such a HUGE endeavor, my (albeit large) Magnavox TV because I can’t really afford the giant plasmas yet…
I need to work on adding electronics to my list. ๐
WoW! Olivier, thanks for showing more of you and how you think, I can see clearly now the quality in you. I’m going to digest and ponder more on your post but the one thing I may differ on with you is in the area of Trust. Maybe it’s semantics but my mode of operation is this, I trust you until you give me a reason not to trust you. You don’t have to earn it (do works or suck up) front, but you may lose it as the relationship builds or crumbles.
Randy Pausch stated in his book The Last Lecture, when someone pisses you off or gets you angry, that’s a reflection on you. It also means you haven’t waited long enough because in general people are good and will eventually show you their good side.
I don’t know if that holds much water with you but if you haven’t seen the video, grab a Nutella, a coffee and Kleenex and come to my Blog here: http://blog.owengreaves.com/the-last-lecture-by-randy-pausch
many Blessings my friend and I hope we get to meet someday face-to-face.
Interesting topic,Owen. And I certainly understand your point of view. I really want to agree with you when you say that in general, people are good and will eventually show you their good side. I think that in many cases, that’s very true. Unfortunately, in just as many cases, I have found that to be not quite the case. For every generous, kind person, I can find one who is petty and vindictive. I’ve seen people do horrible things to one another just out of boredom or pettiness or jealousy.
I could just as easily say that in general, people are petty, vindictive, selfish and cruel, and that they will eventually show you their bad side.
From where I stand, people are both generous and selfish, kind and cruel, capable of wonderful acts of compassion and horrible acts of hatred. We all make choices to be who we are, to do what we do, and some of us can be real assholes when we decide we aren’t in the mood to be saints.
When it comes to trust, I go with instinct first. Not everyone I meet is worthy of my trust until they screw it up. Some people give me a bad feeling from the get-go. Others I just can’t read yet, so I proceed cautiously. I observe. I listen. I wait to see if they like to gossip or talk badly about their “friends.” I wait to see if they like to share professional secrets. I don’t try to provoke red flags, but I am always on the lookout for them.
People I meet are worthy of my good manners first. Worthy of my empathy as well… The rest, I tend to either build or tear down over time, based on my interactions with them. ๐
Each one of us was designed and wired differently, so you & I can have a similar agreement with a twist and yet understand completely. I think for me, it’s too much work to do it your way, I give everyone a chance and go from there. I think everyone deserves trust, that’s up to them not me. Although, I think I do the same thing you do, instincts, gut check, 1st impressions are part of the equation. I have found most people prefer to keep people under rather than lifting up. It’s just easier to put people down with the hopes you will look better, that’s why it happens IMHO.
I like to think of myself as a fruit inspector, there’s good fruit and there’s bad fruit…it’s easy to tell which ones you should trust to eat.
Many Blessings my friend.
Olivier I wrote about this last month. Not that I want to be one for self-promotion, but I’ve shared my thoughts there already and have been chewing on this for a while.
I haven’t constructed a through list like you have… yet. Certainly this inspires me.
In my mind, we require a conviction to make a quality decision that we live by. So for me, having strong convictions is therefore a must. Forming them takes time and you do negotiate them over them too, as your mature, as you are exposed to more of life, as you see what works and doesn’t work.
Check it out the full article, if any of you wish,
http://scottgould.me/uncompromising-on-your-experience/
So, now I’ve taken your thoughts and are munching them through on a deeper level.
A new blog post ensues… ๐
Olivier,
I just want to print this and wear it. And then point to it and say “what he said.” Bravo. Better than bravo. Amazingly well thought out. Perfectly said. Inspirational.
Thank you for brightening my day.
Shelly
You’re very kind. Thank you. ๐
What Shelly said. ๐
Great stuff here Olivier! It make me think I should continue the trend Amber started…
My favorites were Sushi (for obvious reasons) and Self respect (because no thing of value is worth more).
By all means, pick up that torch, man. I would love to read everyone’s version of this. ๐
Yay! Thanks for saying what just needs to be said… some things shouldn’t be debatable. And thanks for thinking that creating your own words (which I do rather frequently) does not constitute a violation of proper English.
I’d have to add the following:
Business Technology >> Get the best you can afford. If time really is money, then the extra RAM, power, processing speed, video capability, editing/rendering ability, etc., etc., are worth it.
Family >> I work so I can support them. Anything I choose to do instead of hanging out with my husband and four children better be waaay worth it. Thinking this way leads me to strive for excellence because, as you said, if a thing is worth doing, it’s worth doing well. And doing what I do well is the only way to make a living at it long term… and that is the only way to make the time I spend away from my family worth it.
I love that you included clarity and toilet paper in the same post. Not every day those two can be integrated into a topic and make perfect sense.
There is someone one Facebook plagerizing your post as her own. b factor fitness is the company and the person is Briana Chamberlain! Just thought you should know.
Thank you. You are correct. I left a comment on her plagiarized post, and though I did not get a reply from her, it seems to have taken her all of 90 seconds to take it down. I am not happy about this at all.
Thank you very much for pointing this out. I’ll keep you updated as to what happens next. ๐
I can’t add to that ๐
But it is nice to see that an outing of an individual who obviously possesses none of the above is so forthcoming.
If there is a business behind it – a major ‘outing’ is due
Well, I didn’t write down what I won’t compromise.
But I did write how I decide what I won’t compromise!
http://scottgould.me/5-steps-for-making-quality-decisions/
And of course I’m the a**hole that takes her sweet time to get over here and comment. But.
I love this post! And I love that yours is so much more fun than mine. I’m with you on the sushi and olive oil thing. I’m a food nerd and some stuff just has to be the good stuff (though I suppose you and I would argue over the virtues of a cheeseburger).
Thanks for always being a voice and inspiration to ME.
Amber
That’s the beauty of this thing: We all get to inspire and affect each other in small ways. ๐
And don’t think that because I’ve opted into a foodie’s version of a monastic lifestyle, I’m not a fan of cheeseburgers. Bacon cheeseburgers, even. *sigh* I miss my meats. ;D
Just catching up on your blogs. This one currently hits home for me on two counts, trust and loyalty. Big issues, and I agree with you on both counts. When they are violated, it saddens me to know that I gave out something valuable to me that was treated so carelessly. It’s why I’m more of the frame of mind of Mulder in X-Files ‘trust no one’. It must be earned rather than given.
The trust bleeds into the loyalty, and once given, you are right, it is there to the death. It is difficult sometimes to deal with the idea that the loyalty is not returned in kind.
And we all die for the family honor. It’s an Italian thing. My concept of family goes that way. It doesn’t always have to be blood relatives, but they do have to be loyal and trustworthy to be a part of my ‘family’. What makes me sad is that there are so few people worthy of this honor.
Thanks for such words of wisdom. This blog goes in my folder of “words to live by”.