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By Timothy A. Wilson | December 20, 2007
On Sunday evening, I along with millions of others sat down to watch the New England Patriots and Pittsburg Steelers play. Here in New England we wanted to see how badly the Pats would beat the Steelers. The reason, Anthony Smith of the Steelers guaranteed a victory that would upset the Pat’s on their quest for a perfect season. He made a promised he couldn’t keep. Not only was he unable to make good on his promise, the Pats, made him look bad with an old school yard play I use to do when I was, well never mind.
Making promises is serious business. It sets expectations. Anyone who is a parent knows the danger of making a promise then not keeping it, those plaintive cries of, “but you promised,” have a devastating affect. The look of disappointment in the eyes of a young child will break even the stoutest of men. However, the saving grace is children have a way of forgiving. You see children have faith that the next time their parent will make good on their promise.
When you as an adult make a promise it’s expected that you have the means and ability to make good on what you say you will do. As an adult, we have to be accountable for our promises. Expectations are set and other people make their own set of commitments based on your promise. When you fail to deliver, there is a domino affect that can’t be undone. There are times when circumstances will prevent you from fulfilling your promise, such as an unanticipated storm, or a sudden illness, or in the case of Anthony Smith, the Pats talented offense and defense.
Making a promise requires a certain amount of planning. You need to know that you have the resources to make the promise happen as stated. If you promise a report to a client or a superior, you have to plan and allocate the required time to get it done along with making sure that you take into consideration any unforeseen circumstances that might prevent you from meeting your commitment. In our report example, if you require data from another source you best make sure that they know when you need the information and that you give them enough time to pull it together for you. When your promise involves support from others, you best make them aware of your commitment and get their buy-in because you will need their help to make good on your promise. Failure to do so leaves you out on a limb on your own, and when you fail, you have no one to blame but yourself.
Anthony Smith may have truly believed that he had the resources to make his promises come true, he unfortunately encountered a series of unforeseen circumstances that wouldn’t allow him to keep his promise, the collective will of the New England Patriots and their mantra, one game at a time, and we win as a team. Maybe next time he’ll make sure his brain is engaged before he opens his mouth to make promises and give guarantees. Then again, some people never learn.
Go Pats.
Topics: Accountability, Communication |
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