Promised Time May Be a Communication Blunder
Is someone seeking your time? Is it a client, a customer, or maybe a family member or even a friend? Have you promised time?
It often feels like time is working against us. We struggle to get it all done, done right, and done on time.
There a pressure associated with the commitment and worse, expectations from the person who feels as if they’ve been promised.
Expectations Set
We all know the situation. If we promise something in 30 minutes and we deliver in 25 minutes we’re a hero. If we fail, and deliver in 40, 50, or 60 minutes we may be regarded as a zero.
Often it is the little things that count. The small details that add up to an overall experience. It is true with the customer and it is true with family and friends.
Across time, those experiences become the expectation. They become your brand. What you deliver and when, become a perception for others.
Experience Guides Us
In the U.S. you may be hard pressed to find someone who doesn’t know about the McDonald’s restaurant chain. For nearly everyone, you have and expectation of the menu. Perhaps a burger, french fries, and a drink.
Your perception of McDonald’s is based on your experiences.
Simple. Straight forward.
When it comes to time, are you holding up your commitment?
Promised time may be one of the hardest things for us to keep.
Promised Time
The people that you work with. The people who are present in your life. They have an expectation.
You often communicate expectations.
I’ll be back in a minute.
Let me finish this it will just take a minute.
Please give me until the end of the week, I’ll send it in an email.
If you are setting the expectation there is no one else to blame when you come up short.
Promised time is your brand. Make sure you keep your brand promise.
-DEG
Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSPTM), and culture expert. He is a five-time author and the founder of Appreciative Strategies, LLC. His business focuses on positive human performance improvement solutions through Appreciative Strategies®. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.
