Are you a person of your word? Is your ‘yes’ yes and ‘no’ no? Or…. if there is a change, do you let others know?
I really can’t think of anything that’s more important than being a person of your word. Quite honestly, how can anyone rely on what you say if you aren’t? And excuses really don’t work. It is not enough to say, later, “…what I really meant was…” or “…things changed so I couldn’t/didn’t…” or “…I knew you’d understand when I couldn’t/didn’t…”.
A far better approach is to, as much as possible, ALWAYS let those who would be affected by a change in your behavior, to be informed. If the choice is between looking silly for changing (or for not taking this approach initially) and letting them know versus letting others believe what you intended would continue… choose letting them know. What will happen to your reputation and relationships when you do not let others know of change is far worse than letting them know of the change.
And yes I realize that there is a probability that no one is 100% spot on with this quality. But, I do believe it is something we can all aspire to. To be known as a person of your word has to be one of the highest accolades one can receive.
