Why it’s important to keep your word
Like every living or non-living thing has a character, organizations and the teams working in different units would have a unique character. Every country and each state will have its own unique culture too.
Did you notice and experience it at your workplace?
Be it in the corporate world, entrepreneurial journey or personal life, I have and still come across instances where the single most important thing one would want to improve on is their — Time Management.
Everyone knows that if we prioritize and plan right, it will yield right results. Yet we don’t do so.
There’s a wise line of thinking that states that “you should do what you say and hence say what you do”. It falls with time management and improving shared goals for everyone’s advantage.
Organizations often face a disharmony within the work environment due to pressures caused by work build up which is as a result of poor time management. The organization functions as a whole through the cohesive contribution of each party, therefore the performance and contribution (or lack thereof) of one impacts that of the other and consequently the quality of the entire end product is affected. It is for this reason that we need all hands on deck to understand and function under the same operative, a dedication to commitment.
How often do we hear or say I will reach in 2min? I will finish pending tasks by eod. The reality of the situation is you will likely be taking anywhere from 10 minutes on up to 30, or beyond. Likewise, the tasks deadlines get pushed back too. So, most of the time, people aren’t doing what they say they will do at all.
Hence, this translates to gobs of lost time. You wind up chasing people to follow up. You waste precious moments waiting on others to show up, or if you are late, causing them to wait on you. This time could be used far more efficiently.
What could happen if we all kept our word?
In The Compound Effect, Darren Hardy writes:
“According to research by social psychologist Dr. David McClelland of Harvard, [the people you habitually associate with] determine as much as 95 percent of your success or failure in life.”
In short,
Be with people you get inspired or look upto.
If everyone committed to doing what they say and saying what they do, it would be a far better working world. It means honouring your word, never breaking a promise. It means following through to the end regardless the obstacles. If you have committed to it then you must have believed you can deliver. This is another benefit of the practice. It exercises self- discipline and stretches capabilities.
But change can’t happen overnight. It’s best to start small with one simple thing that can bring the desired shift into focus.
For example, make sure you are on time for your meetings every time. However, in today’s world where things are a bit awry, sometimes being late or having to cancel may come into play. When that happens, you should make sure you let the others know before the date and time of your meeting or deadline.
You might be wondering how this exactly factors into time management and those shared goals though. If we all kept our word and did what we said and said as we did, work would run more smoothly.
For one, there would be less time spent chasing after people for updates. Or sitting around waiting for someone to arrive for a meeting when that time could be better spent on another task until a new meeting time is arranged.
But because it’s hard to shake old habits, leaders should pitch this ethos to the team. They should also oversee that this line of thinking is being followed and encouraged. In order for this approach to work, it has to start from the top down so that everyone can follow it. In doing so, it will improve effectiveness on a personal level for every member as well as for the entire group.
Effect outside of work life
A stressed, over worked individual is expected to be just as disorganized in their personal life as they are at work. This has a lasting impression on their families, health and general wellbeing.
It is imperative that management take into consideration the welfare of their staff to avoid the backlash of personal disturbances from affecting the quality of products and services, and we identify yet another advantage of integrating the “do what you say and say what you do” practice into the culture of businesses.
How to achieve?
Evaluate exactly what will need to be done and how, sometimes even discussing why it needs to be done in a particular way is accurate and communicate transparently.
Adopting this policy in your office can only bode well for your future. If you need more convincing, try it in your personal life. You will see when you keep your word and do as you say and say as you do, things have a more seamless flow to them.
In doing so, it also encourages the others to trust in you, inspiring them to follow suit. And when they do, you can put all your trust in them to know that your job will be one well done.