A promise is a conversation for action. When you promise something either to yourself or to others, you assure them of an action or a series of steps that would lead to a result in the future.
Therefore, a promise is a powerful tool we use to pave the way to a specific future, and when this promise is to others, we hope to create cooperation and support.
We all make promises, but the level of our commitments varies among us. Some people can hardly get much support by uttering a promise, while others can build an excellent level of collaboration.
There are three levels to making promises, as explained below.
- Overpromise, under deliver
Overpromising at this level is when you make a promise that you don’t mean it. You make the promise, but you are not planning to deliver it at all (which you are lying about), or you don’t show much commitment to its delivery when it comes to bringing your promise into reality.
Being in the habit of overpromising and underdelivering gives you a reputation for being unreliable and untrustworthy. The longer you keep this habit, the harder it becomes to gain the people’s trust and the harder it becomes to gain their cooperation. Over time, you lose the power of your promises.
- Under-promise, over-deliver
When trust is an essential factor in your relationship with yourself and others, you are careful not to make promises that you can’t deliver. To build a reputation for being reliable, you deliberately work to provide more than you initially promised. When you make such behavior a habit, you create a reputation for being trustworthy and highly reliable. This reputation gives you the power to rely on the support and cooperation of other people at the times when you need them most.
- Overpromise
Level two is a great way to build credibility and trust and achieve goals, so it’s an excellent place to start; however, it is not enough for the leader who has a great vision and wants to bring significant changes in their organizations or societies.
Under-promise is an invitation to be cautious and do what you can do. It has the danger of limiting yourself to your comfort zone and never setting more significant goals that you have never achieved. It is incredibly limiting when there is a need for other people’s cooperation to achieve challenging goals.
How about overpromising but trying your best and bringing all the resources you have to make sure you deliver your promise? If you succeed in providing what you’ve promised, you can happily celebrate it with those who stood beside you. But if you fail, you take the blame, thank those who trusted you, and learn from the experience. Perhaps you lose some people’s confidence, but many might realize and see your effort as a confirmation that you did your best and were honest with your promise and might be willing to give you another chance in the future.
While overpromising can be a powerful tool to achieve significantly challenging goals, it is not wise to overuse it; otherwise, you may build a reputation as a delusional leader who dreams big but can’t deliver.