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PROGRAM D-7002
Dependability—it’s one of the most important assets you can have on your job or anywhere else. And everybody can be dependable! Are you careless about those little things? Do you make sure you do what you promise, and keep others informed when something goes wrong?
I’m focusing on the importance of good work habits, and certainly dependability is one of the most important good work habits. You may not be the fastest or the smartest or the most experienced person on your job, but you can be the most dependable.
For example, do you return phone calls and emails promptly? Do you make sure you keep records of commitments and promises so that you don’t forget to do what you’ve promised you would do? Do you have a reputation on the job of being very dependable? Would your coworkers say of you, “He said he’d do it, so you don’t have to worry about it; he’ll do it!”
We can always find excuses for letting things fall through the cracks. You get busy, you had more to do than you thought, you forgot—lots of excuses. But a dependable person works very hard not to let those things happen.
I have learned not to trust my memory. If I don’t write a promise or commitment down, I will forget. I have learned to do it while I’m thinking of it and not put it off, so that I won’t forget. There are many ways to remind yourself: to-do lists, smart phones, calendars—lots of ways. There rarely is a good excuse for failing to do what you’ve promised to do.
Am I stepping on any of your toes? Sorry, I’m not doing it intentionally, but I just want to strongly reinforce the importance of good work habits, especially for those of us who are believers. I would hope that your coworkers know about your faith in Jesus Christ; they should. If they do and they observe some really sloppy work habits on your part, they will have difficulty correlating your performance with your faith. And sometimes they’re looking for anything they can find to criticize us about, once they know we are believers. Poor work habits give them an open door to do that.
Remember Paul’s admonition to the Corinthians:
“Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful” (1 Cor. 4:2).
Whatever trust you’ve been given, make sure you are faithful and dependable. It will not only please others, but more importantly, it will please the Lord.