Bet you've been told at least once in your life to put your money where your mouth is. It's a challenge for people to live up to what they really say versus saying one thing and doing something else.

I'm not sure how long that cliché has been around, but it reminds me of another that I have heard quoted in firehouses: “Walk your talk.” My question to you is, do you? Do you actually follow through on the very things that you say you're going to do, or are you saying things just to satisfy somebody's concern before moving on as if you never had made that statement?

The issue here is personal credibility. I've seen classic examples of both cases in the fire service, and I've made observations about both. Let's start off with those individuals who don't walk their talk. They generally manifest three aspects of behavior that absolutely infuriate their subordinates and, in some cases, their superiors.

1. Failing to follow through

   If you promise someone that you're going to do something but fail to do so, trust begins to erode within the organization. No one can be 100% reliable, but if you make 100 promises and only deliver on two of them, you are only 2% reliable. People often mock a person's promises when that person is known for failing to follow through, turning to their peers and opining, “Yeah, on a cold day in Hades.”

2. Excuse-making

   “I forgot” isn't an adequate response to someone who has been waiting for you to do something that you said you would. Excuses reduce your level of credibility within an organization in direct proportion to the number of times that you make them instead of completing what you promised. Pledging 100 promises and following through on only two makes for a poor performance ratio, and “forgetting” or “losing track of” the remainder puts your credibility in the cellar.

3. Doing the exact opposite of what was promised

   I'm not sure where this behavior comes from, but I have witnessed it in many leaders — and in a whole lot of politicians. When you follow this course of action, your relationships with people will deteriorate very quickly. In fact, those people will be well-justified in having absolutely no faith in you at all. If people who practice this behavior are confronted, they almost instantly lapse back into excuse-making with some elaborate explanation of why they had to reverse themselves.

So what should you do to avoid these behaviors? In terms of follow-through, keep track of what you promise to do for people with a small note, whether it's in a notebook, a palmtop or larger computer, a 3- by 5-inch card in your chest pocket, or a tape recorder. Follow-through doesn't necessarily mean that you have to do exactly what you promised, but you must make an honest effort to achieve the promise's spirit and intent. If you later give the person to whom you made a promise a clarification of what you said you were going to do, then an honest effort has been. Nobody says that a promise is a guarantee, but a promise is broken if you fail to bring closure to it.

I think I learned my greatest lesson in follow-through from my grandchildren. I once told my grandson, who was very young at the time, that I was going to do something for him, but I forgot about it. Over a year later he reminded me that I had not done what I had said I was going to do. Not only was I embarrassed and humbled by the experience, I was reminded that making what I consider a small promise could be seen as a much bigger promise by the other party.

To avoid excuse-making we need to consider the opposite of an excuse, which is a reason. You may be wondering how to tell the difference. Reasons are facts; excuses are opinions. You can tell that something is a fact when more than one person can look at it and agree that it's exactly what it is. Whenever we make promises and facts arise to interfere with the follow-through, we should not be reluctant to share those facts with the people who are waiting for us to fulfill our promises. Unfortunately, sometimes the truth hurts.

I recall once telling someone I would try to do something for him before being told by a higher authority that I couldn't. In fact, I was prohibited from even suggesting I would do it. When I went back to the individual, he was disappointed but understood that I could not exceed my authority. He also knew that I had made a good-faith effort to fulfill the promise based on the facts. If I had told him the same thing without any limitation imposed from my superior, it would have been an excuse.

Now for the last behavior, hypocrisy. The best way to never be classified as a hypocrite is to always make sure the person affected by your promise is the first one to find out that you've had to change your position. Let's face it. You're not in as much control of everything as you would like to be. If the person whom you told that you're going to do something is the last to learn you've been forced to reverse that decision, you'll have practically zero credibility. It may take a little more effort, but you can avoid being seen as a hypocrite by telling the truth. Telling people that you simply can't do what you had planned is far better than them learning the same from the rumor mill.

The rumor mill is the form of communication most likely to pass along tales of the behaviors discussed here. It's also linked with another R word, reputation. People earn a reputation of unreliability by repeatedly exhibiting these behaviors. It doesn't take long for the rumor mill to pass along the fact that a person can't be counted on to deliver. Conversely, a reputation of walking the talk begins with very simple things. The rumor mill will do the rest for you.

So here's the question for you: On a scale of 1 to 10, just how reliable are you? Can people take you at your word, or do people subscribe ulterior motives to almost every promise that you make?

In your lifetime you're going to make a lot of commitments to a lot of people. You'll fully intend to fulfill many of them, but sometimes you may know full well that you're not planning on doing what you say. I would bet that if the latter scenario happens more often, then your relationships with peers, superiors and subordinates are going to be rocky.

Think before you promise. Act as if your word was currency. Invest in integrity, and the return on your investment almost always will be extensive.

A 40-year veteran of the fire service, Ronny J. Coleman is the president of the Fire & Emergency Television Network, which features career development and succession planning in its Command Transfer series. He has served as fire chief in Fullerton and San Clemente, Calif., and was the fire marshal of the State of California from 1992 to 1999. He is a certified fire chief and a master instructor in the California Fire Service Training and Education System. A Fellow of the Institution of Fire Engineers, he has an associate's degree in fire science, a bachelor's degree in political science and a master's degree in vocational education.