Making Promises… Part I

Leadership

A week or so ago, my daughter and I were headed out for a walk when she looked at me and said, “Is this the best weather we’ve ever had in Summer, or what…?”

I had to agree.

And as I was acknowledging that, “Yes, in fact… I don’t EVER remember more pleasant temperatures at the end of August…”, it suddenly dawned on me that we were both bundled up in sweatshirts.

I guess the reason that she and I like the Summer of 2009 so much is because, well… we really prefer Fall. And this SUMMER has been a FALL to remember!

Across the country… record low temperatures have been the norm.

In fact, the other day I told a friend, “Thank God for global warming, because otherwise we’d be freezing our buns off!”

But alas… I digress.

In any event, it can be tough to know WHO, or WHAT, to believe sometimes. And I guess I have noticed lately that few people are really speaking much about global warming anymore… preferring instead to talk of “climate change.”

Of course, a quick look at any NOAA weather history chart will show that “climate change” is a pretty safe bet. If there is one thing you can count on from year to year… it’s that wide swings in weather patterns are darn-near guaranteed.

As for me, well… I happen to subscribe to the sunspot cycle theory, but there I go… digressing again.

All I know is that when I was a kid… we were told we were heading into an ice-age. Then in my twenties, my roommate’s deodorant was responsible for opening a hole in the ozone layer the size of Antarctica, and now recently some explorers think they’ve found Atlantis buried off the Greek Islands… the result of a catastrophic natural event that I assume had little to do with Capitalism in Athens, circa 1700 B.C.

Sorry… I did it once more.

But at a time when some people will say just about anything to get your vote… or your business… it is refreshing to know that you can separate yourself from the hysterics, the embellishments, and the exaggeration… by just calmly making your promises… and keeping your word.

Oh… and I am SO GLAD this also works in business. Make your promises… then keep your word.

And leave the exaggeration to your competition… and the disbelief to THEIR customers!

 

A simple and practical application, or two… next time.

 

Photo Credit:

*Micky