There is no “maybe” in their language—
you’re either going to do something or you’re not.
—Amistad
you’re either going to do something or you’re not.
—Amistad
Word is bond—Black wisdom from hip-hop’s golden era. Word is bond. From Africa to now, our word has always been our most powerful and connective tool. We used to conduct business, build governments, and pass on entire histories and cultures based solely on the spoken word.
Word is bond. My word matters. When I’m not there, my word is. Just as a dollar bill once represented a dollar’s worth of gold, my word represents me. I say what I mean; I mean what I say. If I say I’ll pay you back tomorrow, you’ll get paid back tomorrow. Regardless of the stakes, my word will always be as good as the action it’s meant to represent. Or, to break it down to its last compound:
Word is bond. My word matters. When I’m not there, my word is. Just as a dollar bill once represented a dollar’s worth of gold, my word represents me. I say what I mean; I mean what I say. If I say I’ll pay you back tomorrow, you’ll get paid back tomorrow. Regardless of the stakes, my word will always be as good as the action it’s meant to represent. Or, to break it down to its last compound:
Trust
Next to talking, trust is the biggest thing missing in business today. No one trusts their boss. Bosses don’t trust employees. Clients don’t trust agencies. Consumers don’t trust marketers. Voters don’t trust politicians or governments. Nobody trusts the average lawyer, stock analyst or accountant. Some days in business aren’t much different from a typical drug deal: watch the money and watch your back.
But more so than mutual trust, most folks don’t trust themselves. People are afraid to trust their own instincts and talents. Some people don’t trust themselves even when everyone else says they’re right. Lack of trust is often inbred into a company’s culture from the top down. Many companies teach employees to be drones: follow protocol, stick to the script, and make the boss/client/consumer happy. It’s pretty sad.
But more so than mutual trust, most folks don’t trust themselves. People are afraid to trust their own instincts and talents. Some people don’t trust themselves even when everyone else says they’re right. Lack of trust is often inbred into a company’s culture from the top down. Many companies teach employees to be drones: follow protocol, stick to the script, and make the boss/client/consumer happy. It’s pretty sad.
Roach
We didn’t work together much but “Roach” probably taught me as much about trust as anyone I ever met. Whenever we hit our usual spot: Billy Goat’s Tavern on lower Michigan Ave. He drank Schlitz. On tap. In a glass mug—the grimier the mug, the happier he was. He was an Irishman. Played rugby—which was a riot considering he wasn’t more than 5’7 and a buck forty soaking wet. (He always came to work with something broken or bruised.) He was good people. Real smart, too.
Now when it comes to account execs, most tell you what the client wants followed by what they think their bosses want. Then, at some point, usually right after you’ve shown them some work, they’ll tell you the client won’t like it even though the client hasn’t seen a thing.
But the first time I worked with Roach he looked at my work and said, “I don’t really understand what you’re showing me, but explain it to me so I can sell it.” Explain it so I can sell it. No second-guesses. No “lemme-tell-you-how-to-do-your-job” ramblings. Just, “explain it so I can sell it.” In short: I trust you.
It wasn’t that Roach was soft, some sort of creative groupie, or just didn’t care one way or the other. He was quite the opposite. If he thought something was wrong, he said so to whoever needed to hear it. Roach just trusted you to carry your weight the same way he knew he had to carry his. If you told him the client should go left, he’d tell the client to go left. And if you were wrong, then you were wrong. But Roach gave you the chance to be wrong, which ultimately gave you more chances to be right. (It’s amazing how hard you’ll work when people trust your talents and your judgment.)
I probably worked harder with Roach because I knew my opinion mattered more. In fact, everyone stepped up their game when they worked with him. He made work fun. I just wish I had met him later in my career—I was 24 when I worked with him and wasn’t polished yet. I made some mistakes on his clients but I also learned a lot. Most importantly, I learned to trust.
Now when it comes to account execs, most tell you what the client wants followed by what they think their bosses want. Then, at some point, usually right after you’ve shown them some work, they’ll tell you the client won’t like it even though the client hasn’t seen a thing.
But the first time I worked with Roach he looked at my work and said, “I don’t really understand what you’re showing me, but explain it to me so I can sell it.” Explain it so I can sell it. No second-guesses. No “lemme-tell-you-how-to-do-your-job” ramblings. Just, “explain it so I can sell it.” In short: I trust you.
It wasn’t that Roach was soft, some sort of creative groupie, or just didn’t care one way or the other. He was quite the opposite. If he thought something was wrong, he said so to whoever needed to hear it. Roach just trusted you to carry your weight the same way he knew he had to carry his. If you told him the client should go left, he’d tell the client to go left. And if you were wrong, then you were wrong. But Roach gave you the chance to be wrong, which ultimately gave you more chances to be right. (It’s amazing how hard you’ll work when people trust your talents and your judgment.)
I probably worked harder with Roach because I knew my opinion mattered more. In fact, everyone stepped up their game when they worked with him. He made work fun. I just wish I had met him later in my career—I was 24 when I worked with him and wasn’t polished yet. I made some mistakes on his clients but I also learned a lot. Most importantly, I learned to trust.
It is better to trust in the Lord
than to put confidence in man.
—Psalms 118:8
than to put confidence in man.
—Psalms 118:8
