At an early age, my Dad taught me to despise the word “renegotiate.” If Lee Jolles had his way, he would have had it dropped from the dictionary. Let’s take a look at the definition, and you’ll see why two Jolles men dislike this word:
Negotiate (something) again in order to change the original agreed terms.
That’s a pretty kind definition. I think a more accurate definition would be this: “Breaking a deal you made because you don’t like it anymore.” How often do we read about athletes who made a deal, then exceeded expectations, and then wanted to renegotiate a deal? Has there been even one case of an athlete not meeting expectations, and then marching in to renegotiate a contract because of their lack of performance? I’m usually a fan of labor, but I’m squarely on the side of management here.
This lesson began to take shape early in my life, when I was in high school and ran my own gutter cleaning business. I was pretty green, and frequently wrote up estimates without fully understanding the depth of the job. I’d quickly look over a job by walking it off from the ground, and throw a number on a piece of paper. Once I actually got up on a roof, I’d realize that the job was bigger than I had thought, and I’d complain to my Dad that I deserved more. That was the first time I heard the mantra: “A deal is a deal.”
Throughout my career as a salesman and entrepreneur, this same sticky topic would come up from time to time. I’d quickly look over a job, and throw a number on a piece of paper. Occasionally, I’d realize the job was bigger than I had thought and I would want to revisit that proposal… but I never did because no matter how I would try and justify it, I would hear the voice of Lee Jolles telling me, “A deal is a deal.”
What’s the moral here? Perhaps it’s learning to climb up on the roof and look at the job carefully before you make a deal. In non-gutter cleaning language, take your time, and be very careful of the deals you strike, because at the end of the day, a deal is a deal… even if you don’t like the deal anymore.
God Bless your dad! I got similar “looks” from my father. The world would be a better place if this fatherly advice was followed. Thanks as always for the updates.
Sincerely,
Brian
Great article sweet, short and to the point…..l’m certain that we all can learn a great deal from your father wisdom.
Rob – isn’t it great that we can ‘harken’ back to the sage advice our wise fathers gave ‘way back when….! No wonder we miss ’em so much.
Mine – ‘Chris’ – used to say…”Johnny – do the best you can”. Kinda ‘ties in’ a little with Lee’s advice – “A deal’s a deal!”
…or…”give it your all…and come what may….”!
JM
“C.T.”
Great article, Rob. And I have to agree with your dad’s mantra. 🙂 It’s important to stick to a deal that was agreed to in the beginning.
Good perspective here Rob! Important to know what you’re committing yourself (and your team!) to before heading in, guns blazing 🙂
There are some rules of life that ‘old timers’ taught us and that are always good to live by! ‘A man’s word is his bond!’ ‘Anything worth doing is worth doing well!’.