— To follow is a bullet of wisdom on leadership. It comes from Tom’s rifle, named Shot, who has seen it all. You’ll get the drift by clicking Blog in the menu above. —
I PROMISE! I hated that expression. That’s what folk say when you can’t count on their word in the first place. Not, Rudy. He didn’t go around promising things. Nope. He just did whatever he said he’d do. Gotta trust a man like that!
Is your word your bond? Do you do what you say? Well, if not, you’re a qualifying creature, not a qualified leader. Fact is, followers—well, potential followers—keep a tally: They measure your words by your actions. If they don’t see you doing what you declared, you’re diminished. They should at least see that you tried to fulfill your stated intentions. But even then, a few false pronouncements produce skeptics, not followers.