Promise Kept: The Power and Impact of Honouring Your Word

As a leader , you likely say a lot to many people, every day. When you speak, you can say something that has meaning, purpose, and provides direction, or you can pump out a bunch of words.

The words you say can make those listening feel like they've been seen, heard, and valued, or like you are reading from a script.

Beyond your words, the real question in your follower’s mind is: will you keep your “word”?

Are you walking your talk and is your word your bond? Or, do your followers think, “Here we go again, the same old blah, blah, blah.”?Talk is only cheap if you don’t place a value on your words.

5 Benefits of Keeping Your Word

So, what does keeping your word mean? In simple terms, it means honouring commitments and following through on promises. If you do, here’s what happens:

1. Trust: Consistently keeping your word establishes you as reliable; it causes others to trust and depend on you.
2. Enhanced Personal Integrity: Upholding commitments aligns your actions with your values, reinforcing your sense of honesty and self-respect (it makes you feel good, too).
3. Strengthens Relationships: People—spouse, family, friends, employees, and clients—all value reliability. By keeping your word, you foster deeper connections and mutual respect with others.
4. Accountability: Being true to your word promotes a sense of responsibility and accountability, making you more intentional about the commitments you make. This also causes others to keep their word and be accountable to you (it’s the double-edged sword analogy).
5. Improved Reputation: With consistency and over time , your reliability builds a positive reputation, making others more likely to value your presence, contributions, and to trust your word.

Simply put, our behaviour reveals our character, and it’s through our character that trust is built. When our actions consistently reflect our values and commitments, we show others who we truly are, creating a foundation of trust that strengthens relationships and fosters mutual respect. By staying true to our word and principles, we not only build trust with others, but also reinforce our own integrity.

Remember, who you are speaks more loudly than what you say!

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