{"id":676,"date":"2015-11-25T18:30:31","date_gmt":"2015-11-26T02:30:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/imho.kileozier.com\/?p=676"},"modified":"2015-11-25T18:30:31","modified_gmt":"2015-11-26T02:30:31","slug":"does-your-word-have-a-price","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/imho.kileozier.com\/?p=676","title":{"rendered":"Does Your Word Have a Price?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"At<\/a>

At the 20th Anniversary of Dubai’s Global Village, new permanent fa\u00e7ades have risen in the desert.<\/p><\/div>\n

A Woman Walks Into a Bar\u2026<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a nice place, akin to The Algonquin or Sardi\u2019s in NYC. Lighting is soft but not dim, piano playing in the background, dark wood details and an atmosphere of history and good living.<\/p>\n

She sits at the bar and orders a martini. Quietly thoughtful, she listens to the music and sips\u2026<\/p>\n

A man approaches.<\/p>\n

\u201cMay I sit here\u2026?\u201d<\/p>\n

With a smile, she says, \u201c\u2026it\u2019s a free country\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJohn\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m Alice.\u201d<\/p>\n

They chat a bit. He makes her laugh. The place is about half full and their conversation is private; looks convivial. They are clearly comfortable with one another.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, Alice\u2026\u201d says John, \u201c\u2026you are enchanting. If I gave you a million dollars right now, would you spend the night with me?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy John,\u201d she quietly gasps; a little shocked, a little flattered, even a little excited. She looks down at her drink and plays with the olive for a moment. Her eyes rise to meet his and she says, demurely, \u201c\u2026yes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGood.\u201d He smiles.<\/p>\n

A few moments pass in comfortable silence as they look each other in the eye and take a sip of their drinks.<\/p>\n

John: \u201cHow about a blow job for a hundred bucks?\u201d<\/p>\n

She slams her drink onto the bar, \u201cJust what<\/i> do you think I am, John?!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat has already been established,\u201d he replies, \u201cNow, we\u2019re just haggling over price and deliverables.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014-<\/p>\n

Does your word have a price?<\/b><\/p>\n

Business is personal. One\u2019s personal integrity and reliability are essential components of Reputation: especially in theatre and show, destination entertainment, theme park contracting, creation of spectacle\u2026frankly, pretty much any business where deals are made between one individual and another, between an individual and a company or group, between groups, between companies.<\/p>\n

We spoke of this in the context of Leadership, just two posts ago…<\/a><\/p>\n

Once your word is given, can s\/he to whom you have given it depend on the commitment you have made? Will you meet that deadline, deliver that production, carry that weight as promised? Word given and hand shaken: are you stalwartly reliable such that concomitant decisions can be made with the concrete knowledge that you will see to it that the job to which you have committed will be done to spec and on budget or better\u2026handling any and all eventualities with confidence and professionalism?<\/p>\n

Yes?<\/p>\n

Good!<\/p>\n

Good: as in fields where bespoke teams are built for specific projects and productions, one ultimately has only one\u2019s reputation for dependability, for integrity and honor to keep one known as reliable.<\/p>\n

When I know and recommend such people to other producers and directors; I describe the individual as, \u201c\u2026s\/he will hold onto the rope, as would a mountaineer\u2026if s\/he says s\/he\u2019ll see to it, s\/he\u2019ll see to it. You can depend on that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Of course: there are certainly sudden, unique and extreme times where one finds one must relinquish the responsibilities one has accepted. These occasions generally involve death, deportation, incarceration or some physical damage rendering one incapable of delivering.<\/p>\n

There is a way to handle that, and the way is this:<\/p>\n