Are You A Reliable Person?

When you make plans with your friends, do they instantly know you won’t actually turn up for those plans? Do they already know you will cancel – most likely at the last-minute?

If the above question hit a nerve, you might want to ask yourself: Are you a reliable person?

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We tend to respect people who walk the talk. We respect people who do what they say they will do.

If you are constantly cancelling or letting people down, they will eventually lose faith in you or at least not take you very seriously.

They will assume you are an all-talk, no-action person.

Related post – Are You All Talk and No Action and How to Turn That Around?

No one wants to be known as unreliable. While it can be a bad thing on a personal level, it could be catastrophic on a business level.

People won’t want to work with you if you are not reliable. One of the quickest ways to unravel the morale of a team is to have an unreliable Manager.

Here are my thoughts on how to be a reliable person.

Do what you say you will do

Everyone cancels the odd thing here and there. People get sick and need to cancel. I cancelled catching up with my friend for the State of Origin on Wednesday night because I had a stomachache. To be honest, I cancelled three weeks earlier as well because I had a cold. I know – not good. I need to step up and make sure I am with her for the third game.

Cancelling now and then is normal.

Cancelling all the time will annoy the hell out of your friends and make them less inclined to ask you along next time. Eventually, they may stop asking you altogether, particularly if you are known for cancelling at the last-minute.

If you are working on a project and you need to pull out or change direction, be upfront with your coworkers. Let them know as soon as possible about your intentions.

I once heard a powerful comment from a young child. He said, “Daddy never keeps his promises.’ I’m not a parent, so I have no experience raising a child, but I have seen a lot of parents promise children things they know they won’t deliver on, to calm them down or shut them up. Word of warning: sometimes they remember. You don’t want your children to think they can not rely on you.

Related post – How to Be Congruent and Why It’s So Important

Deliver actions on time

If you commit to a deadline, you need to stick to it. It amazes me how many people don’t take professional deadlines seriously.

I have a friend who runs his own business. When it comes to delivering the finished product, he tends to overpromise and underdeliver (at least when it comes to timing).

Don’t get me wrong, his finished product is brilliant, but his timing with deadlines is less than stellar. He tends to quote an earlier delivery date, I’m assuming, to get the business in the first place. Yet he probably knows when setting the deadline that he can’t deliver within that time frame. Then it is a matter of making up an excuse for the late delivery.

A wiser idea might be to be more accurate and honest with the timing on the original quote. Granted, he may lose the odd customer who needs something in a hurry, but in the end, he will probably gain more customers by delivering what he promised within the set time frame.

Related post – Do You Deliver on Your Promises?

Don’t make excuses

As I mentioned above, when the product is late, my friend has to make up an excuse. 

Don’t get me wrong, I doubt there is a human alive who hasn’t made up an excuse at some point. A problem arises if you are doing this regularly. If you are constantly making up excuses, it will not be good for your career or your personal relationships.

Sometimes excuses turn into lies, and people can often spot them a mile away. I’m sure we have all heard elaborate, whopping fibs in our time (that people actually expected us to believe).

The minute you start lying to people, you start to lose credibility and jeopardize your relationships.

Related post – 6 Ways to Ditch Your Excuses

Don’t dump people when you get a better offer

This one in particular drives me nuts.

You have solid plans with someone, and they cancel at the last-minute. Then, later, you find them telling everyone on social media what a wonderful time they are having with such and such.

I had this exact thing happen to me by a friend who constantly cancelled at the last minute. One day, she cancelled, claiming to have a sore neck, and a couple of hours later, she was on Facebook, having a great time with friends.

Basically, they flicked you because they got a better offer. It doesn’t give the person being dumped a warm, fuzzy feeling. It’s actually a great way to build resentment and anger if you do this often.

Say no when you want to

People can have a hard time saying no, especially when they have to do so in person. It may be considered easier to agree to something in the person’s presence and then cancel later via phone, text, or some form of social media (which, by the way, you shouldn’t always assume the person will receive).

If you don’t want to do something, say no from the get-go. Don’t agree to something with the intention of changing your mind later. Saying no might unnerve a few people at first, but people will respect you more in the end for being honest.

Granted, when it comes to work situations, we don’t often have the opportunity to say no. Our boss tells us the work needs to be done, and that’s it. When you are forced into this situation, pay special attention to due dates, the scope of the project, and staff requirements. Speak up early if you don’t have the resources or time to hit the project deadline.

Related post – 10 Reasons You Are Saying Yes When You Want to Say No

Be a reliable person

Being a reliable person means doing what you say you are going to do and keeping your promises. It means being honest and trustworthy. When you are reliable, you’ll earn people’s respect, and most importantly, you will have a deep respect for yourself.

If you want to become a more reliable person, the book Trust: Knowing When to Give It, When to Withhold It, How to Earn It, and How to Fix It When It Gets Broken by Dr. Henry Cloud may help.

Be a reliable person; be someone people can trust. Be someone that you trust.

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