Here’s Rule #1

Here’s Rule #1

If you have trust and lose it, it’s extremely hard to recover it.

Similarly, if you have rules but don’t enforce them equally, rules are undermined. When the restaurant with a dress code allows exceptions for a special customer or employees are simply afraid to enforce it, everyone starts to dress down. When the theater allows someone to cut a line, everyone rushes for the doors.

Having rules that you only enforce situationally is worse than not having rules at all.

When you allow a client to cancel meetings at the last minute, or invite people to meetings which should be just between you and the buyer, that client will also fail to meet payment dates or ask for “deals” along the way. That client will also ask for additional work for free “as long as you’re on site anyway.”

Rule #1: If you have rules, enforce them. If you don’t enforce them, stop complaining about poor treatment.