How To Stand Before Kings

It’s not enough to just be really really good at what you do, you have to be really really good at how you do it. Since the beginning I've based our business model off of an ancient proverb that says “do you see a man skillful in his work, he will stand before kings, he will not obscure men.” And I’d like to break that down. BUT FIRST a word from our sponsor, JUST kidding this is freakin’ zero fluff so let's look at this in terms of what separates you from the pack, what is it that would cause you to “stand before kings” rather than obscure men. Well your skill obviously, and honestly that whittles it down quite a bit, the better you are at whatever it is you do, the better. It’s kind of shocking how rare simple competence is, just doing exactly what you say you're going to do. I mean, when we hire someone for just about anything, and they do what we expected them to do for the price we agreed upon, aren’t we usually kind of surprised? Almost feeling like they way exceeded our expectations? Why is that? It’s because a lot of people kind of suck at their jobs. And I don’t know why anyone things incompetence pays well because definitely does not. So it’s obvious that you should be competent at your craft, but take that even further and be exceptional, work hard to hone your abilities, dedicate time and money to sharpen the knife so to speak, to go above and beyond the expectations. But like I said off the top, it’s not enough just to be really really good at what you do, you have to be really really good at how you do it. From my experience that looks like not just my artistic skill set but my people skill set. If you’re not just good but exceptional at communicating clearly with your clients, being a good friend to them, treating them with respect, and being honest with them, you’re going to make their entire experience working with you something that’s rare to find just about anywhere. Like I said in the episode about Friendship, you’re clients are people just like you, and they want to enjoy who they’re working with, so be enjoyable, and that means clear communication, respect, care, honesty... you get it. So if you’re awesome at what you do and are good people to work with, you’re already in a league of your own, but I want to take it am even bigger step further. The bedrock of it all, and one of our company FrameWork’s core values, is integrity. We do what we say we’re going to do. Because we could be lovely people who are super talented and work hard, but if you can’t depend on us, who gives a crap. Often times with the projects we work on there is a ton on the line, a lot of time and money and the ramifications of failing to come through are huge. When we accept a job, we’re saying come hell or high water we will see this thing through. You can depend on us not just to do our job, but to carry any load we might need to pick up along the way to get it successfully across the finish line. It matters in a larger sense like I’m describing and it also matters in setting expectations and not just meeting them but exceeding them, even in the little things. For instance, we work hard never to say things like “I’ll get you a rough cut of the video soon.” but rather “I’ll get you a rough cut of the video end of day Thursday.” And then, we deliver end of day Thursday, if not earlier. And I know it sounds super basic when I say it, but it’s shockingly uncommon. Take these three aspects of your skill set, your craft, your people skills, and your reliability, and I honestly believe you will stand before Kings, rather than obscure men. Again, it’s not enough just to be really really good at what you do, you have to be really really good at how you do it.