Over the weekend, I dropped my phone..., again. The last time I dropped it - about a month ago - a huge crack with several splintering fractures appeared across the top 1/3 of its face. This saddened me as my phone had previously seemed indestructible for I have dropped it many, many times. But alas, my latest failure proved fatal for my phone and I found myself in an Apple store over the weekend sourcing a replacement.

I have had an iPhone for almost three years now and I love it. It has been a great phone for me and I have been happy to upgrade with each new release. The latest is the iP4 and it's super cool. No, I stayed with AT &T. They have been reliable. And you know what they say about "If it ain't broke...," And in this case, only my screen was broke.

Over the years, I have been harassed by Palm loners, Blackberry snobs, and Android geeks. I stuck with the iPhone because I loved it - pretty simple really. Dependability breeds loyalty. Thus, I am loyal. Finding the right phone for me was a chore. I have only been a cell phone user for ten years and a smart phone junkie for three. But the bottom line is that I appreciate the unfailing consistency I have encountered. Granted, not everyone has had the same experience as I - and if they have not, I am sure they moved on.

Reliability is not something to be taken for granted. Nor is it a quality that is easy to exude. Humans are naturally lazy. We look for the easy way out - always. It is why we innovate incessantly. We want it better, faster, and cheaper. Unfortunately, not everything should be done faster and cheaper. Our microwaved Sesame Street mentality has bred a world full of discontent and anxious working class. Individuals who crave the next best thing - now!

"Fail fast" works in tech development, but not so much in client or business relations. Learning to change pace and shift gears is one of the hardest skills to master. Slowing down and enjoying a conversation is a lost art in business nowadays. We want everything yesterday and we expect quality to be supreme but we continually "fail fast" at creating lasting relationships because we have forgotten how to be friends, how to earn the return call. These are the days of retention. Retaining a client list. Retaining a pod of happy hiring managers. Retaining a CRM of candidates that will take your call, return your call, refer you or to you. Retaining trust. Retaining reliability. Are you up for it?

by rayannethorn