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Honoring and Fulfilling Commitments 189

“No, but we’ll get to it soon.” Six months later, the CIO was still prom-
ising, and the manager was still waiting.

Authentic Commitments

In a culture of 100% accountability, there are only authentic commit-
ments. Committed partners either commit or do not. “Yes” is a clear and
unconditional statement with no strings attached. In this type of culture,
committing is not a weak promise; it is a high performance action. When
people commit in a high performance culture, others take the commit-
ments seriously and respond with full support.

Honoring Your Commitments
Doing what you say you will do and communicating responsibly
when you don’t.

Committed partners learn to quickly recognize casual, slippery, and pie-
in-the-sky promises. In their place, they insist on authentic commitments
without conditions or an escape hatch. They ensure that commitments
have clear actions and deadlines, and a responsible way to revoke them
when appropriate.
Let’s start by defining what a commitment is in a high performance cul-
ture. A commitment is an action designed to turn ideas into reality. It is
a clear stand to deliver a specific result within an agreed-upon time frame,
regardless of unforeseen circumstances or challenges.

Manage commitments and you manage results.

One of the reasons people do not commit is that they are worried about
failing. This is another example of backward thinking: in order to bring a
new reality into existence, you must first commit. A commitment is a stand
and an action in high performance. It is not elusive and vague. Commit
first, then work out the complete plan on how to fulfill your commitment.
A commitment—big or small—sets new thinking and behavior in action.
For example, if you commit to your team that you will be on time to meet-
ings, and you authentically communicate this, you have taken an action.