Leading by Keeping Your Promises

Practice Keeping Promises 

Many times as fundraising consultants, leaders talk with us about the importance of keeping promises. Walking the talk of core values as a leader involves making a commitment to keep promises, regardless of the circumstances. When promises are broken, it’s usually because one person puts his or her interests ahead of those of others. But leaders can’t afford to do that. Frank Layden is the former president and coach of the Utah Jazz of the NBA. In a conversation I had with him about leadership, he commented:

“The minute (a promise) is broken is when I say I’m more important than you are and that my goals are more important than yours. Usually, the reason we are doing this is for my benefit or for the benefit of the few. And I don’t think we (as leaders) should be able to do that. What we should rather say is that if we have a contract, then that contract is supposed to be fair to both of us.”

An Excellent Example

A real life example of taking action consistent with the principles and keeping promises regardless of the circumstances is found in the story of J. Robertson McQuilkin. He is President Emeritus of Columbia International University. For 22 years he served as the University’s President, and his tenure was arguably one of the most productive of any president in the South Carolina school’s history. By his admission, this was his “dream job.”

On a vacation to Florida, McQuilkin noticed his wife, Muriel, began to repeat stories that she had just told only minutes before. It was a pattern that eventually would lead to a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s. As the disease advanced, McQuilkin faced an important decision. His wife was growing less and less conscious of both the people and the circumstances around her. The doctors advised him that regardless of the person providing care for her, her condition would likely deteriorate to the point where she would not recognize who it was. Therefore, he could just as easily continue as University President, achieving his vision while caring for his wife by providing full-time nursing assistance for her.

Despite the doctors’ counsel, McQuilkin’s commitment to his wife was much stronger than his loyalty to the University. He commented, “When the time came, the decision was firm. It took no great calculation. It was a matter of integrity. Had I not promised 42 years before, ‘in sickness and in health, till death do us part?’” He eventually resigned his position to care for his wife. In speaking about keeping his promise, he said simply, “This was no grim duty to which I was stoically resigned; She had cared for me for almost four decades with marvelous devotion; now it was my turn.”

Results Will Follow

Through his actions, McQuilkin demonstrated his commitment to and his belief in keeping his promises, regardless of the circumstances. The same is true both in organizations and in fundraising. Leaders are not only responsible for embracing and articulating values, they must also demonstrate commitment to those beliefs through their actions. Apart from that they only create cynicism. It makes sense that if leaders espouse something but fail to deliver on what they espouse, they lose credibility. Simply stated, if they expect to achieve their goal of building successful teams and increasing donations, then they must also create an atmosphere of trust. That doesn’t happen without keeping promises, regardless of the circumstances they face.