Introduction
Following through on commitments is perhaps the single most important trust-building behavior. Every promise kept builds trust; every promise broken erodes it. Your words become either meaningful or meaningless based on consistent follow-through.
Why This Skill Matters
Nothing builds trust faster than reliable follow-through. Nothing destroys it faster than broken commitments. Clients can forgive mistakes in judgment or skill—they rarely forgive patterns of saying one thing and doing another. Your reputation is built on the ratio of commitments made to commitments kept.
Core Principles
- Be deliberate about commitments - Only commit to what you can deliver
- Track commitments systematically - Don't rely on memory
- Communicate proactively if commitments are at risk
- Under-promise and over-deliver when possible
- Small commitments matter as much as large ones - "I'll call you Tuesday" counts
- Follow through creates compound trust - Each kept promise makes future ones more credible
Good Examples
Making a trackable commitment:
"I'll have the revised mockups to you by 5pm Friday. I'm putting that in my calendar now, and I'll send them with a note about the changes we discussed."
[Friday, 4:30pm] [Sends mockups as promised]
Why It Works
Specific, time-bound, documented, followed through reliably.
When commitment is at risk:
"I committed to getting you those designs by Friday. I'm hitting an unexpected complexity and I want to make sure I deliver quality work. I can either get you 80% of what we discussed by Friday, or push to Monday for the complete set. Which would you prefer?"
Why It Works
Surfaces risk early, explains why, offers options, maintains agency, still delivering something.
Systematic follow-through:
[Keeps a commitment tracker, reviews it daily, sends proactive updates when milestones are hit, never has clients asking "What happened to...?"]
Why It Works
Systematic approach prevents commitments from falling through cracks, builds reputation for reliability.
Bad Examples
Bad
"Yeah, sure, I'll get that to you soon."
[Two weeks later, client has to follow up]
Why It's Bad
Vague commitment, no timeline, forgotten, client has to chase you, trust erodes.
Bad
Makes commitments in meetings, doesn't write them down, forgets several, blames being busy when called out.
Why It's Bad
Pattern of broken commitments destroys credibility, excuses don't rebuild trust.
Tips for Developing This Skill
- Write down every commitment immediately - Don't trust memory
- Be specific: Replace "soon" with actual dates/times
- Set reminders for commitments due
- Review commitments daily - What's due soon?
- Build in buffer - Give yourself more time than you think you need
- Communicate early if you'll miss a commitment
- Say no instead of over-committing
- Track your ratio - How many commitments kept vs. broken?
- Small commitments matter - "I'll send that link" counts
- Close the loop - Confirm when commitments are complete
Connection to Other Skills
Foundation for instilling confidence, proactive communication, setting expectations, building long-term relationships, the reassuring "I don't know" (which is itself a commitment), and every other trust-building skill.
Action Items
- Start a commitment tracking system today (spreadsheet, project management tool, or notebook)
- Review all open commitments—are any at risk? Communicate now.
- Practice saying specific timeframes instead of "soon" or "quickly"
- Set calendar reminders for every commitment you make
- Track your follow-through rate for a month—aim for 95%+
- When you must break a commitment, surface it immediately with plan B