Covey (2006)'s 12th Behavior that Builds or Maintains Trust #12: Keeping Commitments

"Keeping Commitments" is the 12th behavior put forth by Covey in The Speed of Trust, 2006, p. 214ff.

This is what he says:

Behavior #12--Keep Commitments--is the 'Big Kahuna' of all behaviors. It's the quickest way to build trust in any relationship--be it with an employee, a boss, a team member, a customer, a supplier, a spouse, a child, or the public in general. Its opposite--to break commitments or violate promises--is, without question the quickest way to destroy trust. (p. 215)

He quotes a colleague: "When you make a commitment, you build hope; when you keep it, you build trust." (p. 215)

But implied in this commitment is a mechanism whereby the person your building trust with can see that you've kept your commitment.

In Covey's words:

The counterfeit of this behavior is to make commitments that are so vague or elusive that nobody can pin you down, or, even worse, to be so afraid of breaking commitments that you don't even make any in the first place.(p. 215)

To sum up, he says: "Say what you're going to do, then do what you say you're going to do [how, when, and where you said you were going to do it]. Make keeping commitments the symbol of your honor. Don't break confidences. Don't attempt to "PR" your way out of a commitment you've broken." [p. 219]

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