How Can I Be Sure That My Word is Law?

I recently had an interaction with someone whereby I discovered that being true to one’s word is an incredibly important factor in creating credibility for oneself. It also pays to choose your words wisely when making commitments, decisions and choices because these words we speak and the associated actions we pair with them are what show others who we are as people.

So, how can you be sure that your word is law? How do you keep your commitments and follow through with authenticity?

I’ve found that the best way to earn and maintain my credibility with others – and with myself – is to verbally commit or decommit to something. What this means is if I say to someone that I will do something by such and such a time, come hell or high water I will do just that. If I discover that something else takes priority over that commitment when the time comes, in order to honour my word it is important that I formally decommit from that event with the person in question.

In reading this it may appear that decommitting from something is going against one’s word. It isn’t. A decommitment is a way of overriding your first verbal agreement with a new one. It is much better and more professional to do this than to simply not honour your word and not fulfil the task, then apologise later. It is also much more courteous and truthful to front up to your commitments in this manner, as it shows you are organised, you are honouring the other person and their time, and you are honouring your own time and priorities too.

What do you need to commit to or decommit from? When have you lost faith in someone’s credibility because they didn’t honour their word? Share your experiences below >>

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