The Most Important Question in Business…
Is “How good is your word?”
How good do people think it is? Is it impeccable?
It is true in deal-making…
Because lawyers are costly and inefficient compared to genuine good faith.
It is true in customer relationships…
Because a brand is nothing more than a promise. It might be a good one, or not so good.
And it is true in leadership…
Because leadership is about engaging your people’s hearts in their work. And they won’t let you close to their hearts if they cannot count on your word.
It is true to some extent in relationships beyond business… but those are not my area of expertise.
I have found that leaders with an impeccable word are rare. It is not because of some moral deficiency – it is because of a lack of skill and focused attention.
It is hard work to live by your word. Circumstances change. Higher-ups countermand us. We overestimate what we can accomplish. We forget. There are a million reasons.
It is harder still to have others see and be certain that you live by your word. Because people tend to hear what they want to hear. Our employees watch us closely, and they interpret our actions through their past betrayals and through the cynicism that pervades our society. And each employee’s perceptions get passed through the echo chamber that is the company grapevine. Sending a clear message through all that noise seems impossible.
Still, that is the challenge before us as leaders.
Because our word is our most powerful tool. Credibility makes or breaks a leader, as it makes or breaks a company.
How good is our word?
How good is our company’s word?
Most of us have been poor stewards of our credibility and of the power of our word. As a result, we are less effective than we could be.
We must learn how to do better. We must seek support and constant reminders of this very challenging task. And we must gradually build the muscles that allow us to be recognized as having an impeccable word.
Not because it is noble or nice.
Not because it is easy – it isn’t.
Not because everyone else does it – they don’t.
Because it is the only way to truly lead.
Because it works.
Your word is your most powerful tool for getting things done through people.
Make it more so.
Everything in this world grows from the inside out. In order to keep my word to you, I must keep my word to myself. It takes intense self-observation, laser awareness and daily review to keep track of personal integrity.
What helps me hone my self-observation skills is to do an evening review. What I found is that I overcommitted and literally ran out of daylight and energy. My intentions were good, but commitments fell by the wayside. Now, I am more discretionary in what I commit to. When I promise something — I do it — regardless of cost. Maybe we need a non-judgmental integrity partner? Someone to share victories with and also to disclose vulnerabilities and observations and to make deeper commitments to personal integrity.
Connie Kadansky
Sales coach
http://www.exceptionalsales.com