Page 201 - Fearless Leadership

188 FEARLESS LEADERSHIP

• any minute now
• before long
• in a little while
• in a second
• in due time
• posthaste
• shortly
• immediately
• instantly
• presently
• promptly
• quickly
• directly

Many of these phrases sound quite accountable, but in business, they
are inexact and problematic. No one is clear about when the promise will
be delivered, ergo no one can be held accountable. Without a “by when”
date, you do not have a deliverable.

A Leader Avoids Action with a Promise,
Not a Deadline

Incomplete or pie-in-the-sky promises are easily mistaken as commit-
ments. In making the promise, the individual throws out tidbits that
sound like commitments but are actually empty promises that lead
to falsely inflated hopes. For example, a manager talked to her CIO
about meeting an outside consulting group to get help with the inte-
gration strategy. The CIO hedged and said, “The organization may
not be ready to change, but if you want, I can meet with these con-
sultants at some point.” But no meeting date was promised, and the
manager did not tie down a deadline.

The Result. A pie-in-the-sky promise does not produce action—at
least not action that anyone can count on. Without an explicit dead-
line, no one can be held accountable; everyone simply wastes time.
Several weeks later, the manager went back to the CIO and asked if
he was ready for the meeting with the consultant. The CIO said,