Mom always said: “Don’t half a** it.”

I’ve been hearing the phrase “better late than never” a lot lately.

Perhaps the idea of doing something after the fact works in some instances, but not in business. Sending a belated birthday card receives a partial nod of approval in my book. Contacting or sending a client or vendor information after a deadline or agreed upon date, on the other hand, doesn’t fly with me at all.

I have to say, professionals who can’t deliver and make excuses for themselves are one of my biggest pet peeves in business.

From time to time, I catch flack for being difficult to work with. My personal belief is that most professionals, men and women alike, are still (even today) adjusting to aggressive and opinionated business women in the workplace, but I digress. Often, it’s because I encourage and press the team of people I’m working with, which includes pushing myself, to make deadlines and get results because being “better late than never” equates to either not doing what you are supposed to be doing or over promising and under delivering on your efforts. And that’s not good for business – ever.

Why is having a self imposed “never say ‘better late than never’” policy important? Not doing what you promise to do means you’ll, ultimately, loose clients and credibility you and your brand have in your market. Trust and credibility is something that is built over time and can easily be shattered by a “better late than never” incident.

Maybe professionals who are like me are “difficult to work with” to people that continually underperform. But the professionals that, like my mom always said: “Don’t half a** it,” will always see long-term professional success and will more than likely pick up a few of the clients from the “better late than never” firm along the way.

- - - - -
I'm curious to know your thoughts on this issue. Let's share stories.