October 20

Declaring Undeclarables

Trust is the foundation of all great creative work. Without it, it can be nearly impossible to take risks, venture into uncharted water, or mention an idea that might not be received well by others. You must trust that on the other side of that effort is the possibility of a brilliant result and that others are on your side and will help you deliver on your objectives.

However, we often breach trust in silly, avoidable ways. For exam- ple, we make promises to others that we aren’t certain we can deliver on. I call this “declaring undeclarables.” We declare things like, “We are absolutely going with your idea for this project,” or “I will definitely meet with you on Tuesday at 1:00 p.m.,” with every intention of delivering, but circumstances change and we’re unable to do so. While it might seem minor in the moment, these small breaches of trust add up over time, and they can compromise our ability to garner team trust in important moments when we need to rely on one another to take a creative risk.

Don’t declare undeclarables. Make certain that you can deliver on your promises before you make them.

QUESTION

Have you breached trust by declaring an undeclarable? How can you mend the damage caused?