RELIABILITY TURNS A PROMISE INTO A PATTERN.
The central question
Do I deliver what I promise?
The problem
Small missed commitments accumulate: a call not returned, an unclear delivery date or an update that never arrives. Good intentions do not tell the other person whether it is safe to plan around your promise.
The insight
Reliability depends on a workable system. Define commitments, check capacity, name an owner and signal difficulties early. A renegotiated commitment is different from a silently broken one, but repeated renegotiation still needs attention.
A practical example
A team says it will respond to customers “quickly.” It replaces this with a realistic response window and a named duty owner. When an answer requires investigation, the customer receives an acknowledgement and a specific update time.
ONE decision
Create one visible commitment register for the work that matters.
TOP 3 actions
- List current promises with owner, agreed result and due date.
- Check capacity before accepting a new commitment.
- Review approaching deadlines and communicate exceptions before they become surprises.
30-day result
Measure commitments delivered on time divided by commitments due during 30 days. Separately record changes agreed in advance.
Your reflection
Which recurring promise do I keep accepting without enough capacity to deliver?
Action checklist
Review five active commitments today. Clarify any vague deadline, remove unnecessary promises and alert anyone affected by a foreseeable delay. The register should reduce confusion rather than add administration.
PASS: the commitment is clear, feasible and verifiable. REVIEW: remove the one obstacle preventing delivery before adding more rules.
Put the complete system into practice
Get all ten episodes, the Trust Decision Canvas and the 30-day Action Guide in the HUMAN AND TRUST PowerBook – €29.
PowerLicense for organisations
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