When we give someone our word, there’s immense power in that …
The power to gain trust, or destroy it.
Once we give our word that we’ll do something, we’ve committed to it, which leaves two choices:
- Do it
- Let the person we gave our word to know why we can’t (or why there’s a delay)
If someone simply ignores a commitment, that makes them a person who didn’t keep their word — and that’s a shure-fire way to lose respect.
Do you find yourself overcommitting? If so, it might be time to think about what you need to start saying no to.
And if you think you may have let down a friend or colleague, it may be time to apologize.