A kept “I’ll bring the charger” does more for trust than a ten-minute speech about how loyal you are.

LEADERSHIP

WHAT THIS MEANS

Declarations are cheap because they cost nothing to produce. A tiny promise kept costs slightly more than it is worth, which is exactly why it functions as evidence. People build their sense of you out of these small completed things, not out of statements of intent, however sincerely you meant them.

So make fewer announcements and more small specific commitments, then meet them exactly. Remember the thing somebody mentioned in passing and bring it. Over a year that does more for how you are regarded than anything you could say about yourself.

A QUESTION TO SIT WITH

Which small promise did you actually keep this week?

MORE IN INTEGRITY & CHARACTER

Free, with nothing to buy inside it.