As Blake mentioned, he and I are in Nairobi, Kenya this week working with some great folks who are doing very important work in the field of Microfinance. We arrived Sunday night and spent the first day getting acclimated to the new city, the time change, and getting to know the people that we would be working with all week.

One of the first questions we were asked by the founder of the organization was "Why did you take on this project?" I am not sure I have ever been asked that question by a client, but it was a great one and really made me think. Outside of the fact that their need could be filled by exactly what we do, I answered by describing why we wouldn't have worked with them.

I told him that we wouldn't have taken on the work if we weren't able to come over here, get to know the organization, the culture in which it resides, and build a real relationship with the staff. Without that, we wouldn't be able to get real insight and ultimately do good work that will help solve the issues at hand. We can't compromise and ultimately risk wasting someone else's hard-earned money.

It made me think about how important it is to know the things that allow you to do great work. And to stick to your guns. Don't back down even if it means you might lose the project.

The willingness to say no will define you more than the willingness to say yes.

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