What is the one positive thing you would like for others to say about you when you are not in the room? This is an interesting question to ask yourself, as well as your team members, your friends or your family members. You can be sure the answer will be based on a significant and positive character trait.
Personally, I want others to say, “He is a person who does exactly what he says he will do. If he makes a promise, he will keep it.” Recently, I have noticed that quite a few people in their business and personal lives make promises they never keep. The examples are so numerous, I’ll only list a few.
- Return a phone call
- Arrive at a meeting on time
- Begin the diet
- Take out the trash
- Refund the purchase
- Keep your name off the email list
- Pay the bill
- Complete the assignment
You would think that knowing how to keep a promise would be something we learn as we move from childhood into adulthood. However, this doesn’t seem to be the case. Out of curiosity, I conducted a Google™ search on the subject of “keeping promises” and I was amazed to find a plethora of sites that actually tell you HOW to keep a promise. Someone actually has to go to Google™ to learn how to keep a promise? Geez!
To save you some time in conducting your own lengthy internet search regarding how to keep your promises, here is some simple advice about keeping a promise. Don’t ever make a promise you know you can’t keep. Anyone can make a promise. It’s keeping a promise that defines your integrity. How well you keep your promises is a measure of your worth. So, when it comes to keeping your promises, “How much are you worth?”
