Reliability

In leadership development, we talk a lot about trust. It is foundational to both personal and professional life. Trust is both the glue that binds people through loyalty and the lubricant that eliminates friction.

Trust is the result of many factors including professional credibility, personal intimacy, and the perception of one’s motives, but reliability is key.

Reliability is the easiest to master of all the variables in the trust equation. It doesn’t take years of education or a personality transplant to start following through on your commitments. In my experience, it is also the easiest way to differentiate yourself from the generally unreliable masses.

Reliability simply means doing what you say you are going to do. Do not make commitments you cannot keep. Show up when you say you are going to show up. Deliver on your promises or don’t make them in the first place. “Under promise and over deliver” should be your mantra. This is just not that hard.

There is no excuse for letting poor reliability get in the way of building strong trust-based relationships with anyone in your life. Be the one that delivers.