Broken promises
A promise is ‘a declaration or assurance that one will do something or that a particular thing will happen’. Vibrant cultures — those that achieve their goals — are built on delivered promises. Promises generate accountability and force strict prioritisation.
When we make a promise it creates a level of expectation for the person or persons on the receiving end. It says ‘this is important to me, because it’s important to you’. It’s a demonstration that you’ve listened, understood and that you respect the wishes of the other person. It becomes an agreement of trust.
“I’ll provide feedback to you by tomorrow”
“I’ll call you later today”
“I will read it later so we can talk about it”
“I’ll be available for a chat after 12pm”
“I’ll reply to your message when I get home”
When you break that promise, it undermines this agreement.
This happened to my brother recently. He ordered a new mobile phone directly from the manufacturer and paid extra for a faster shipment. He was provided with a delivery time and waited patiently the next day for it to arrive.
It never did. Nor did it arrive the next day. Or the day after that.
Each day a different promise was made and each day that promise was broken. No reason was provided other than a message telling him that it was caused by an ‘unexpected issue’. My brother was forced to follow up, but only received a series of automated responses.
When a promise is broken trust is lost, safety is undermined, morale is damaged and negativity is generated. It erodes confidence in future promises. It becomes a story that we can tell others.
“They are not to be trusted”
“They say one thing and do another”
“They’re always too busy for the things that matter”
“You’ll have to keep chasing them”
“I wouldn’t bother with them if I was you” (Which is where my brother has ended up.)
Of course, the simplest thing to do would be to not make the promise in the first place, however, that’s a failure of leadership, regardless of what you’re offering. The answer instead is to make promises that you can keep, then prioritise your work to ensure that they are kept.
If there is an issue with keeping the promise, then honest communication is the only way to ensure that trust isn’t irrevocably broken. Empathy is key in this transaction as you don’t want the broken promise to become the thing that’s remembered.
A strong culture is built on keeping promises to each other, no matter how small they seem. When promises are kept, trust flourishes, productivity soars, and employees feel valued. But when promises are broken, the damage extends far beyond the immediate disappointment — it undermines your credibility, damages team morale, and creates a culture of distrust that can take years to rebuild.