If life (and business) it pays to have integrity. And by that I mean doing what you say you're going to do. Which, by the way, is just being pragmatic.
We're all driven by self interest. So pragmatism basically means doing what's in your best interest, doing what delivers the results you want, doing what works.
And above all doing what's right. Not morally, but pragmatically. And funnily enough they tend to end up being the same thing.
Say you're in business.
The number one complaint people have about vendors is that they don't keep their promises. They don't deliver what they say they will on time, and/or on budget.
While I don't want to pick on a particular industry, if you've ever built or renovated a house, you'll know exactly what I mean. Stuff never seems to happen on time. It just about always runs over budget and there's a significant amount of chasing up you, the buyer, needs to do.
And the same can be said for people you may work with who don't deliver and let the team down.
Interestingly though, most sins can be forgiven if the vendor just communicated!
If you let the people you're dealing with know there is a problem - before the due date, steps can be taken to work around it, add more resources etc.
But sadly, many people just disappear, lay blame or make excuses, while leaving you in the lurch.
And while that doesn't show much integrity on their part, it's more than that. It's simply not being pragmatic about their own self interest.
They're losing customers! And if you're employed, doing this too often tends to be a career limiting move.
In fact, in virtually any business, the number one factor in losing customers and turning them into bad news spreaders is not keeping your "stated or implied promises".
Conversely, one of the biggest success factors in life (business and personal) is simply saying what you will do and doing what you say. When you become known for absolute reliability, success in all forms will flow your way.
So when you do get yourself into a situation where you can't meet a deadline, keep a promise or commitment, be pragmatic. Don't run and hide, ignore it or hope it'll go away. Confront it, apologise and make it right. Again this is not out of some ethical or moral obligation (although you can choose to look at it this way), but simple business sense.
And finally, here's a tip.
A smaller promise kept serves you better than a bigger one that you can't, won't or don't keep.
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