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Honoring and Fulfilling Commitments 193

Guidelines for Authentic Commitments

1. Align with the enterprise mission. Does our commitment
forward enterprise objectives?
2. Tell the truth. Is this a commitment we are willing to keep,
regardless of unforeseen circumstances?
3. Be responsible about your capacity to deliver. Can we
deliver on this new commitment given other commitments
we have made? Before committing, make sure the group is
willing to manage conflicting demands on time and energy.
4. Identify possible negative impacts. What unintended
consequences could this commitment have on business results
and people? How will we minimize or eliminate any possible
negative impact?
5. State a specific time agreement. By when will this
commitment be fulfilled? A commitment is not real without
a deadline or due date.
6. Agree to include others and commit publicly. How will
we include others in our commitment? A commitment begins
to produce results the moment leaders take a stand and
communicate it publicly.
7. Agree on how to revoke the commitment should it become
necessary. How will we handle a change in our commitment or
a change in the due date? Sometimes there are legitimate rea-
sons for withdrawing or revoking a commitment. When this
occurs, immediately communicate to everyone prior to the due
date and take accountability.

Revoke a Commitment Responsibly
There are times when it is responsible to revoke a commitment. However,
having an attitude that it’s OK not to communicate or treating missed dead-
lines as “no big deal” is unacceptable. When you made the commitment,
you set up an expectation; therefore, when you break a commitment, you
must manage the expectation as well as your impact on others.