Trigger Question #99:
When was the last time you over promised and under delivered? Come on, we all do it sometimes. But why do we, knowing that it hurts and harms?
When we are more likely to do so provides a clue. There are times of year when we are more inclined to make promises we know we can’t or won’t keep. Like when bells are jingling because of love, actually. And times when we want to be really nice.
Wanting to be nice is only one reason we over promise. The other reason is common in the workplace, where it frustrates teamwork and undermines careers. It is simply a lack of forethought.
We promise without prudence and commit without caution.
Why do we do this? Because of boss pressure? Peer pressure? Team pressure? Bonus pressure? Promotion pressure? Wall Street pressure? All the above?
Maybe so, but I think it’s because it is easier to fake compliance today than to toil at delivering tomorrow. But remember this. In the long run, occasional trustworthiness is more harmful than blatant unreliability.
Because intermittent integrity is an oxymoron.
Welcome to my side of the nonsense divide.
. . .