| Michael Angier is the founder and CIO (Chief Inspiration Officer) of
SuccessNet based in
South Burlington, Vermont USA. He’s a father, husband, writer, speaker,
entrepreneur, coach and student. He's also the creator of The World Class
Business™ Conference. |
Except
for disease and climatic disasters, I believe that over 90 percent
of the world's problems result from people not keeping their
agreements.
Think about it. From countries to
corporations to families and friends, most every upset--little or
large--can be traced back to someone not keeping up their end of the
bargain.
Wars break out, companies fail,
marriages end, friendships fracture and deals fall through simply
because of broken agreements.
We all make agreements every day.
Some seem small and insignificant: an agreed upon time to meet, a
promise to run an errand. Others are seen as bigger and more
important: a formal contract, signing a loan agreement.
But all of them are important.
Because this is the way trust is earned. A person's reputation is
built upon their ability to make and keep agreements.
Your life--and the lives of those
around you--will work better when agreements are carefully made and
diligently kept. The quality of your life is in direct relation to
the quality of your agreements. Here are seven tips to help you
become and remain a person who can be counted upon:
1. Take All Agreements Seriously
When you agree to do something--do it. And do it when you said
you would in the way you agreed to do it. When you agree to meet
someone, be sure to be there and be on time. Agreements with
yourself matter, too. If you promise yourself that you'll exercise
today, keep your promise. Develop the HABIT of keeping your
agreements.
2. Be Careful What You Agree
To
Don't give your word lightly. Many people find it easier to say yes
instead of no. But it's far better to be a bit guarded with what we
agree to do because we can find ourselves getting over-committed and
then unable to complete what we said we would.
3. Keep Track of Your
Agreements
In the course of a week we might enter into dozens of
agreements. We must have some way to track these promises--a
follow-up system to keep yourself--and those you deal with--on top
of what was promised. Write them down. You may have great
intentions, but if you forget to do what you agreed to do, the
result is the same as you CHOOSING not to keep your agreement.
4. Make Sure Your Agreements Are
Clear
With a written agreement you have a prayer. With a verbal
agreement you've got nothing but air. It's always best to have a
written agreement--even if it's just a letter or note of
understanding. It's much easier to iron out any confusion later if
it was written down and no one has to rely on the memory of a
conversation.
5. Be Careful With Whom You Make
Agreements
There's an old adage, "Cheat me once, shame on you; cheat
me twice, shame on me." If you make agreements with people who
have a history of not keeping them, you're leaving yourself wide
open for disappointment.
6. Renegotiate When You're Unable
to Keep Your Agreement
When you find yourself unable or unwilling to complete an agreement,
always go to the other party or parties and renegotiate. It may be
uncomfortable but it will keep your in integrity and has far more
class than simply not addressing the issue.
7. Manage By Agreement
Instead of just telling someone to do something, ask them if
they would agree to doing thus and so by such and such time. If I
tell someone to do something, they might do it because they were
told to do so, but if I ask them and gain their agreement, I've got
a lot better chance that it'll get done. In using this method, you
also find out if your request was clearly understood.
By paying careful attention to the
agreements we make, tracking them and developing the habit of
keeping all our agreements we become and remain a person of
integrity.
Our lives and the world around us
work in direct proportion to the quality of our agreements.
--End--
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