Promise not to promise

Many companies are weighed down by all sorts of prior obligations to placate. Promises salespeople made to land a deal. Promises the project manager made to the client. Promises the owner made to the employees. Promises one department made to another.

Saying “Yes, later” is the easy way out of anything. You can only extend so many promises before you’ve spent all your future energy. Promises are easy and cheap to make; actual work is hard and expensive. If it wasn’t, you’d just have done it now rather than promised it later.

Trust me, “Yes, later” doesn’t work with little kids either.