End your quick yes habit.
We’ve trained ourselves, and our teams, that the immediate response is the best response. I’m letting go of the internal guilt that rushes me into decisions. The slow, thoughtful “yes” is almost always the better choice than the rushed, obligatory one.
Make thoughtful, deliberate commitments.
Do What You Said You Would Do (DWYSYWD).
If I make a commitment to you, I will do it, and by the time I say I will. If a difficulty arises, I will propose an amended commitment, which will only be active if you agree.
I expect my collaborators to do the same for any commitments they make. If you do not honor a commitment that you made to me, I will call you on it. This is partly out of practical necessity, but also to support you in your own cultivation of integrity.
Set the example.
You can’t say one thing and then do another. Because your subordinates are observing you and they say, “That dirty bastard. We’ve got to do this, but he doesn’t have to.” So, if you’re a leader, you’ve got to set the example. You’ve got to be tougher on yourself than you are on your own people… Because they’re observing you all the time. They’re not going to tell you, because they know you have authority, but they’re observing you.
In other words, can they trust you?
May you be a trustworthy leader this year and beyond,
Ben and David
StrategyTeaming.com