Page 189 - Fearless Leadership

176 FEARLESS LEADERSHIP

commitments are expressions of your integrity and values. When your
word means something, you can create anything. People whose word is
respected are perceived as trustworthy, reliable, and credible. It takes
strength of character to consistently demonstrate that your word is
your bond.
Credibility is a multidimensional construct that consists of your exper-
tise and your trustworthiness. If you are credible, people believe the truth-
fulness and correctness of what you say. Credibility is based on trust: can
others count on you to do what you say you are going to do? You may be
the best in your field with regard to knowledge and proficiency, but if you
avoid making commitments or treat commitments casually, people will not
trust you. When you do not keep your word in all matters, you destroy con-
fidence. Your credibility at all levels in the organization is determined by
how you relate to commitments. All people have is your word. What else
is there?

A Team Is Frustrated by a No-Commitment Leader
“Sorry, folks, but I need to take off,” Dana said to her direct reports.
“But, Dana, we don’t have closure on this decision. What action are
we taking?” asked a frustrated direct report. “I’ll get back to you in a
couple days,” Dana said as she breezed out the door.
Dana is a senior vice president in a global chemical company. Her
plate is always full—so full that her team works overtime to make up
for her lack of follow-through and broken commitments. When Dana
is not in the room, here’s what her team says about her:

• “Dana is not respectful of others—she cancels meetings or overex-
tends them by an hour or more. We stay late or come in early just
to complete our work.”
• “The only thing that decisiveness and Dana have in common is
that they both start with ‘D.’ Dana leaves everyone hanging;
she postpones decisions and never makes a timely one.”
• “Dana has a commitment problem—she doesn’t commit.
She makes vague promises such as ‘I’ll get back to you soon.’
We all know that ‘soon’ means: ‘Whenever I feel like it,
so don’t bother me.’”