Posted by All you have in business is your reputation, so it’s very important that you keep your word.
Richard Branson
This applies to personal as well as professional life. If you say you are going to meet someone at 9am, keep your word and be there at 9am. It is as simple as that. I have had a few of interactions with people who would cancel at the last minute. This shows to me how invaluable my time was for them and I would never want waste my time for them again. This applies to business as well. You don’t want the unreliable tag to your business, that is a sure-shot way to lose the ever-so valuable customer trust that takes so long to build.
What happens when when you don’t keep your word?
Every relationship in our life, including people/customers/colleagues, comes with a know-love-trust factor. Not doing what you say repeatedly, they will quickly lose trust in you and not take you seriously. They may not want to interact with you again and if they do have to, they will be very cautious.
There can be major repercussions to not keep you word, but simply put dont promise to do something and not do it. Just say no if you cant. Making a simple shift in mindset to only promise what you can deliver is a game changer. This is one of those foundational character building habits that will affect all areas of life.
Keeping your word comes in many different forms. It could be punctuality, promising to call later, sticking to deadlines, or taking ownership. As you do more, your confidence and self-esteems improves as well.
We can all be in positions where we promise something and something more urgent comes up. Keep track of how often you don’t keep your promise. Next time try a little harder. If you promised to post a podcast episode weekly but now you cant keep up, Weight out your options. If this podcast is of high value to you, see if you can let something else go to make time. Or maybe change your podcast to being a fortnightly one instead.
Say no. If you cant make it say no. If you cant call, say no. If you already have too much on your plate, dont say yes to another thing. I am guilty of this one. Just say no if you cant, rather than dropping all the balls. Being honest with people is always better than giving them excuses later about why we couldnt do what we promised.
It is very simple, KEEP YOUR WORD.
Planning Over Coffee 