Here’s a sad fact about the world: most people just don’t do what they say they will, for neither the small nor the big items.
As a result, a very simple way to be in the top 10% of anything is merely to do what you say you will.
This statement is simultaneously obvious and subtle.
The obvious side here is, “of course you should do what you say you will! Duh! I can’t stand people who tell me they will do something and then don’t.”
But life is more complex than that! Here are a few of the complexities.
Firstly, too many people feel shame and embarrassment for not having completed their word, admitting it and facing it is hard. So, most people just don’t. The people you work with will not be robots, so logically they may often feel uncomfortable emotions.
Secondly, too many people differentiate between minor commitments and major ones. Indeed, there is a largely forgotten (and formerly very controversial) concept called… wait for it… an “oath.” What’s the difference between an oath and a promise? Technically, one is a promise made “under God” (that’s an oath) vs. the latter, which isn’t (that’s a normal promise), but, conceptually, the difference is between a major promise and a minor one. The oath vs. promise controversy goes back centuries—even Jeremy Bentham wrote a pamphlet on it centuries ago! It’s a far too common belief that violating minor promises just isn’t a big deal.
Thirdly, too many people—especially those with lower levels of responsibility—won’t understand that many other actions will happen contingent upon the deadlines, even smaller ones. It’s not clear to many that when they deliver minor result X, this will trigger someone else to do Y, whose completion of that task will trigger someone else to do Z, and so forth. This is often not articulated (I’m just waiting for him to finish X, and when he does, I’ll assign Y to person Q, etc.) and even when it is, flows like this can easily get lost amidst a sea of documentation.
Given all this, what to do?
There are two key take-aways, an obvious one and a more subtle one. The obvious one reinforces one of the earlier principles discussed in a previous chapter: if you commit to anything, no matter how tiny, make sure you do it and do it on the timeline promised. If you can’t for any reason, that’s perfectly fine, just update all the stakeholders as early as possible.
The second take-away is: be careful what you commit to. Choose carefully. Articulate list factors and share them. Be sensitive to the deadline as it approaches. Be honest with yourself about your own speed as the deadline approaches. Above all, make sure you don’t fool the person whom it is easiest to fool, yourself.
