Trust · Chapter 5: Reliability — Do You Do What You Say?
Reliability in Leadership
Do You Do What You Say?
Your team has experienced situations where your commitments were not kept. Reliability is the currency of trust — every broken promise is a withdrawal from your trust account.
When it is strong
- •Start a commitment tracker — a simple list of every promise you make. Review it every Friday and ensure nothing falls through the cracks.
- •If you realize you cannot keep a commitment, communicate it immediately and proactively — never let the deadline pass in silence.
- •Reduce the number of commitments you make. It is better to promise less and deliver more than to over-promise and under-deliver.
- •Ask your team: 'What is one thing I said I would do that you are still waiting on?' Address every answer within 48 hours.
When it is missing
From a team member's point of view, the absence of reliability creates uncertainty. People may begin to work around the leader, hold back honest input, or question whether support will be available when it matters.
The specific pattern is not a label for a person—it is useful feedback about what the team experiences repeatedly.
How teams experience this
When people cannot rely on you, they stop bringing you their real problems. They manage around you instead of with you.
Leadership Mirror is designed to compare a leader's intentions with the patterns their team actually experiences. That gap is where a constructive development conversation can begin.
A question your team reflects on
This component includes 2 anonymous team-feedback prompts. One example is:
“This leader consistently follows through on commitments and promises made to the team.”
How to improve
- 1Start a commitment tracker — a simple list of every promise you make. Review it every Friday and ensure nothing falls through the cracks.
- 2If you realize you cannot keep a commitment, communicate it immediately and proactively — never let the deadline pass in silence.
- 3Reduce the number of commitments you make. It is better to promise less and deliver more than to over-promise and under-deliver.
- 4Ask your team: 'What is one thing I said I would do that you are still waiting on?' Address every answer within 48 hours.
- 5Build a reputation for being early. If you say you will have something by Friday, deliver it by Wednesday.
See beyond self-perception
Do you know how your team rates you on Reliability?
Leadership Mirror measures reliability alongside 20 other leadership components through anonymous team feedback, so you can see how your leadership is experienced—not just how it is intended.