Our word: one of the most precious things we have, but one of the most easily broken. Speaker Bullock encourages us to consider how we treat our commitments:
There are many aspects to being a good leader. There are countless books out there that talk about the laws of leadership and how to improve or become a leader. And most of the material is pretty good. There are tips and lessons to be learned in just about every book, and things to be learned from just about anyone. But there is one thing that I don’t really see emphasized that often. Something that, in my humble opinion, is one of the most crucial qualities everyone must possess or strive to achieve.
That is the value of your word.
If you take a minute to actually stop and think about it, there are very few things in this world that we have control over. There are even fewer things that we can lay claim to as our own. But your word is one of those. You have sole possession of it and you have complete control over when you give it. And how you act upon it is a direct reflection upon you.
If you give your word to someone, you are expected to follow through with that commitment. Should you choose to not take it seriously and you don’t follow through, it reflects negatively upon you. But, should you choose to take the commitment you gave to someone seriously and follow through and communicate, it has a very positive impact. This is an aspect of leadership and indeed life, that is paramount to building successful relationships and trust. Being sporadic in following through with the commitment you make to others can seriously damage your credibility and the likelihood of people taking you at your word again.
Far too often, people make commitments and never follow through. Or commit to do something, and fail to communicate when things or circumstances change. Now take a moment to think about that. When you don’t follow through, that’s a reflection on you and your character. You have control over the commitments you make and over who you give your word to.
Unexpected things do and will come up. There are things that can affect the outcome of situation that you can’t control or predict, but you are responsible for informing people when circumstances have changed. It’s this awesome thing called: communication. Another one of the essential pillars to building good relationships and trust. When things come up that you can’t control that will affect the outcome of your commitment, you must communicate that with all parties involved.
Bottom line is this: Your word is important, it can define you, your work ethic, and how you’re viewed as a leader, so take it seriously.
