9: Accountability series - Giving your word - it's a skill
Jun 29, 2019
auto_awesome
Learn the importance of giving your word with care to establish trustworthiness and accountability. Emphasize conscious promise-making and honest negotiations. Explore the significance of commitments and setting clear accountability plans.
Giving promises skillfully sets you up as a role model for accountability and builds a culture of trust.
Engaging in commitment conversations fosters clarity, reduces risks, and increases promise fulfillment.
Deep dives
The Importance of Giving Your Word Wisely
One of the main ideas discussed in this podcast episode is the significance of giving your word wisely in order to be seen as highly accountable. The speaker emphasizes that giving promises skillfully sets you up as a role model and helps build a culture of accountability. An example from the speaker's personal experience is shared, where she pushed back on a client's request to ensure the promise could be fulfilled effectively. By exercising caution and considering various factors, such as workload, dependencies, and potential risks, individuals can make wise promises. The speaker suggests four steps for making a wise promise: noticing opportunities, pausing to evaluate, distinguishing between a promise and an intention, and engaging in open negotiations. Implementing these steps can enhance trustworthiness and accountability.
The Power of Commitment Conversations
Another key point highlighted in this podcast episode is the significance of commitment conversations in fostering accountability. The speaker underscores the importance of having deliberate interactions where both parties agree on a promise to deliver. By engaging in commitment conversations, individuals establish clarity, mitigate risks, and increase the likelihood of fulfilling promises. The speaker encourages listeners to practice the four-step process of making a promise: noticing opportunities, pausing to evaluate, differentiating between promises and intentions, and engaging in open negotiations. Adopting commitment conversations as a regular practice can contribute to building trustworthiness and consistency in delivering on promises. The episode concludes by stating that the next episode will focus on strategies for ensuring consistent delivery, further deepening the concept of accountability.
Those who consistently keep their word learn early that it becomes essential to give your word with care. Many just say yes to everything and then gain a reputation of being unreliable. Make your word count, promise deliberately, learn to negotiate when you think what is being asked of you is not achievable.