We were all taught as youngsters to keep our promises. Most of us do keep most of our promises most of the time (politicians and football chairmen excepted, obviously).
It is important to keep the promises we make to other people. They are a crucial weft in the fabric of a functioning society.
For example I am now keeping a promise that I made to Fiona Sidwell. She is a businesswoman (her company is the Cirrion Group) and the Chairperson of a regional branch of the Institute of Directors. I promised her that as my last resort, if she persisted in not paying for an after-dinner speech I gave at a very smart banquet hosted by her company, I would write on my blog that the debt is still outstanding more than a year after the talk.
That this has dragged on so long is, of course, my own fault for believing her regular promises that she was about to pay her debt. I don’t use contracts for my talks. I promise someone that I will turn up on a certain date and do a good talk. They promise me that they will pay me. I like that. But this time I have been stung.
Many thousands of people have now read this but it does not make it very likely that I will ever see my money. But it may perhaps stop Fiona Sidwell treating her next speaker with such contempt.
However the real point of this blog post is a reminder of the importance of keeping promises made to yourself. What was your New Year’s Resolution? Can you even remember? It was a promise that you made to yourself. And you have probably broken that promise. How often have we promised ourselves that next year will be better, next year we will run a marathon, next year we will lose some weight?
It’s not that we can’t keep those promises. It is that we haven’t kept them.
There is a big difference between the two. Keeping promises to yourself is more than just about doing the thing itself. It is about the satisfaction of trusting in your own intentions and backing yourself to actually get stuff done.
:-)
Good post Al. Not only because I appreciate the warning about Fiona Sidwell and her company (and will be sure to pass it on where relevant) but also – more importantly as you say – because of the satisfaction of doing something you have promised yourself you would do. That satisfaction will my incentive to hit next years’ promises hard – thanks for the reminder.
Who knows, perhaps Fiona will make a big promise come Jan 1st and decide to start treating people properly!
Promise and trust are so fundamental and valued that it is always sad to hear of someone backtracking. What a disappointment. I hope Fiona is sufficiently embarrassed to pay up, with interest and a beer token for good measure.
Maybe a letter to the Editor at the Times might make her, or her compares, squirm – it’s a very topical issue at this New Year’s Resolutions time of year so will make people laugh. And it’s going one better than the blog – which is more than she has done for you.
Al, if she’s a businesswoman and I don’t think she is……..that’s a shocking way to behave. God help me if I ran my business like that!
Perhaps remind her of one of her quotes that I found on the ‘net:
“Business is won on mutual trust, and has to be earned…”
Failing that “there’s no justice like angry-mob justice.”
thank you for doing this. for rockin’ life. for being an inspiration.
Mike
A few weeks ago I visited a customer and spent the first 15 mins being verbally abused for a minor issue that was nothing to do with my visit or me personally. Just another example of someone hiding behind their corporate identity and taking the opportunity to treat someone else like crap. An all too frequent occurance. Just be thankful this is not a world that you are part of on a daily basis. Counting the days…..
Nice one for posting it up here. Naming and shaming can be a powerful thing.
I am outraged on your behalf Alastair. I have written to the Iod on your behalf – I can speak to a couple of journo friends if you would like to take this further?
Michael Grivers
did you try small claims court alastair?
Just found this blog, I wish I had found it earlier. As a former manager of a company that was waiting years for a debt in the tens of thousands of pounds I can deeply sympathise with your frustration with this lady and her ‘company’. Looking at companies house website it would appear that Cirrion Limited is in liquidation as were her two previous companies. Approach with caution we have a serial offender here. How can someone who can’t pay their debts afford two separate holidays in Fiji and Australia in the same year??!!
I spoke at an event last week and was sitting next to an MD from Scarborough. When I mentioned I had been shafted by someone in Scarborough he said to me, “it wasn’t Fiona Sidwell and Cirrion by any chance, was it?”
Well known in the area. Shame I was too trusting.