Doing What You Say You ll Do

Doing What You Say You’ll Do

Promise-keeping in leadership is not always clear-cut. Sometimes leaders are forced to reconsider promises and disappoint followers. Those are the times when transparency is particularly important, because followers who understand the reasoning behind broken promises may be more accepting of the consequences.

The personal reward for keeping promises and fulfilling commitments is a reputation of reliability and of meeting a key expectation of credibility. It is a worthy goal. Start really listening to yourself when you are interacting with others. Are you speaking or implying promises that you may not keep? Do your actions match your words?

Globalization, virtual teams, workplace diversity, delayering, information technologies, and complex alliances assume new associations and networks of trusting relationships that hinge on a consistent congruency between words and actions. Trusting teams or organizations start with leaders who demonstrate congruency between what they say and what they do. When managers match their words and actions and others follow their lead, reliability and dependability infuse daily dealings with suppliers, customers, and business partners. These are big bottom-line payoffs for leaders who keep their word.