Keep promises and be polite

Had lunch today with a good friend and mentor.  Towards the end, we ended up talking about common fundamentals to good business.  What makes people, and businesses, successful in any context?  What are the commonalities?

He listed his requirements – just four things, which finished with the following:

Keep promises, and be polite.

The first you hear occasionally in a business context, the second rarely.  But show me a context where these two attributes aren’t universally accepted & appreciated, where they don’t today make you stand out, where they don’t lead to long-term, mutually-beneficial relationships.

These attributes work at a personal and a corporate level.  Does your business keep its promises?  And what about your manners?

Interesting to think about.