Even great leaders and their teams have problems keeping their word
They say they’re going to take on a task, but for reasons — good or bad — they don’t complete the task.
An example of a good reason for not completing a task might be a change in the company’s marketplace strategy, or an unexpected customer issue that has to be dealt with immediately.
Reasons like those make sense. They take precedence for sound business reasons.
The real problem is when important tasks aren’t started, or are left undone, for bad business reasons.
What are some bad reasons? The leader and their team members:
- Try to be all things to all people
- Are undisciplined
- Lack confidence
- Lack energy
- Can’t prioritize
- Can’t delegate
- Can’t deal with difficult colleagues
- Can’t manage upwards
- Don’t build stakeholder relationships
- Are terrified of failure
- Are terrified of success.
You get the picture. These leaders and teams are well-meaning. But when they let other things get in their way, it wears on them. They take a hit in their confidence and their reputation. They start to feel dangerously under pressure, while their capabilities erode. They doubt themselves.
Not only does breaking their promises hurt them. It also affects the people around them. The organization’s culture becomes one of half-hearted effort. It becomes a culture where leaving important things undone becomes the norm.
This is a very serious business problem. It’s a much bigger problem than most of us realise. It’s not done intentionally.
The question, then, becomes: What’s stopping you and your team?
What promises could you make that would — when completed — propel you, your team members, and your company into a much higher and better level?
“When you break a promise, more then the promise gets broken”
