Of all behaviors, keeping commitments is the number 1 "Big Key". It's the quickest way to build trust in any relationship - be it with an employee, a boss, a team member, a customer, a supplier, a spouse, a child, a friend, or the public in general. Along this line, its opposite is to break commitments or violate promises, is without question, the quickest way to destroy TRUST.
Keeping commitments involves making promises, as well as keeping them. It is likewise said and done that when we make commitments, we build hope; when we keep it, we build trust. So when we violate our commitments, we know the impact or considerations that attached to it. It is then vital to be careful with the commitments/promises we make.
However, the counterfeit or sham of this behavior is to make commitments that are so vague or elusive that nobody can pin us down or even worse to be so afraid of breaking commitments that you don't even make any of it in the first place.
Keeping commitments is based on the principles of integrity, performance, courage, and humility. It's the perfect balance of character and competence. Particularly, it involves integrity (character) and your ability to do what you say you're going to do (competence).
When it comes to dealing with a commitment to clients, people tend to be more rigid. But when it comes to family commitments, they tend to be more flexible. Simply because they're trying to provide for their families and usually they tend to justify breaking those commitments more easily.
Because keeping commitments has such an impact on trust and because it is so vital to a thriving family culture, it is wise to keep in mind that commitments to family members are often the most important commitments of all.
Also, making and keeping commitments to ourselves is the key to success in making and keeping commitments to others. That's where it all starts, and that's what gives us the power and confidence - the Self Trust - that enables us to build trust with other.
