Secret #5: Protect the Integrity of Your Words 69
In order to do a quality job, I will need until noon
tomorrow to complete this.Never promise what you can’t deliver, never agree to some-
thing you have no intention of doing, and never commit to any-
thing you aren’t 100 percent committed to accomplishing.
Think about how advertisers lose credibility by not mean-
ing what they say. How many “final markdowns” will you
accept? How many one-day-only sales will you be motivated by?
You know if you miss this sale you will catch the next one.
How about politicians who promise anything to get the elec-
tion, and find they cannot deliver? I’m sure the senior George
Bush squirmed each time clips of him saying, “Read my lips:
No new taxes” were aired after he had gone back on that cam-
paign promise. Many people say it cost him his second term.
Take your words seriously so other people will.