When was the last time that you flaked out on someone? Or someone flaked out on you!
Are you a reliable person? Do you make sure you follow through on your tasks and commitments to full completion? Are you someone who will try your best to keep your word because people are depending on you?
If your answer is yes to all three, then you are bound to succeed in life. Your good reputation will most probably precede you. Your faithfulness will be greatly rewarded by both God and man. Why can you be sure of that? Well, because among other things, the Bible says we will reap what we sow. If you are reliable, God will reward you with reliable people in your life.
Some people may flake out on you, but God will be faithful to you to the end. You can be sure of that! He will more than make up for all the untrustworthy, unreliable, unfaithful people in your life.
When I was still in the corporate world, as a young staff writer, I noticed early on that our boss would always, always give the toughest jobs to the brightest and most reliable people in our team. I didn’t mind at all. I never looked at it as favoritism. In fact, I felt quite relieved and very secure when our boss gave the toughest assignments to our “star players” because I knew that they would do well. And we, the lesser mortals, would surely benefit from the excellent work of our bright and reliable co-workers!
I’m sure there were some of us who got envious and insecure. I always thought – Well, if you’re envious, then step up! Show the boss that you’re smart and reliable, too! Either you accept the fact that they’re superior to you at work, or you step up and try to see how good you can be. Who knows? You might be in their league! You won’t find out if all you do is grind your teeth in envy.
Early in my career, I saw that whining, ass-kissing, and being a court jester or smooth-talker (who entertains the boss) won’t work for the long haul. Most bosses discover, sooner or later, who really delivers – and who are lazy, unreliable, and just pretending to deliver.
They never go far in life. Even if they’re nice.
When I moved up to become a division head myself at the age of 26, I mimicked the management style of my previous boss. I tested the waters when I gave assignments to my staff. I gave really tight deadlines to my artists, writers and editors. I gave difficult field assignments to our photographers. I tightened the budget and working hours of our media relations team. But I was easy on my printing staff because when I visited our printing office, I immediately saw how hard-working they were. Their publications came out on time even if they had antiquated machines. There was no need to test their skills and reliability.
When you’re reliable, people respect you. Personally, no matter how talented and brilliant a person is, I find it hard to respect a person who’s unreliable. Given a choice, I would not work with someone unreliable. It’s literally putting your success in someone else’s hands – someone who’ll most likely drop the ball, and you, along with it!
What are the consequences if you’re unreliable? I think the worst consequence is that you’ll never find out how good you can be! You sabotage yourself. People won’t respect you or trust you. People won’t want to work with you. You will get bypassed for many opportunities, perks, and promotions. You’ll stagnate and get dull because you don’t push yourself to do your job well. You’ll be left behind. And, to borrow a phrase from “Amadeus,” that witty Broadway play, you will sacramentalize mediocrity. That’s how you’ll be remembered: mediocre.
Never be unreliable. Never leave a job half-done. Never pass on to others what you promised to do yourself, unless you have a valid reason. Worse yet – never shift the blame to others or make excuses when you fail to keep your word.
Being unreliable, being unwilling to assume responsibility, is one of the best ways to sabotage yourself, your credibility, ruin your future, and put others in misery.
