Avoiding Broken Promises

The Broken Promises political dilemma is commonplace. Due to the power balance, it could almost be inevitable, especially if the senior has this as part of their motivation Modus Operandi.

There are many variations on the theme, but a typical scenario plays out like this:

1. Hiring manager, keen to get job applicant to say yes and join the team. To bait the hook, they say something like, “Naturally, if you deliver well on xyz, promotion is certain.”
2. Excited new hire likes this but has seen it before. But, what can they do? It wouldn’t improve their chances of getting the job to ask for the promise to be put in writing.
3. The deal is done, and new hire gets to work. Regularly checking in with line-manager to make sure they are meeting expectations.
4. New hire delivers what they believe to be required, confidently expecting to have met standard and be due their reward.
5. Then, for whatever reason, the promise does not materialise and then they are trapped. To argue the point is futile. Trying to prove performance standards that were never clear doesn’t work. Making a big fuss gives them further ammunition. To simply accept their excuses is weak.
6. So, the new hire takes the feedback, makes their disappointment clear and soldiers on, slightly less motivated.
7. Next performance review, same thing happens, different excuses. New hire now getting angry, but what can they do?

If this dilemma is in-flight for you, it needs some careful handling so that you can maximise your prospects, further improve the relationships and also, minimise the risk of recurrence. In almost all cases, a tough conversation will be needed.

Part of the preparation for this tough conversation, is also wise action to be taking to avoid falling into this dilemma in the first place. It focuses on adjusting the perceived balance of power. There are many areas I focus my clients on to minimise the risk that promises will be broken, and tough conversations needed. Here are the first three:

Okay, I need to back up a little and suggest that before we go further, you take a look at the lead article, Broken Promises : Tough Conversations which will set the context for this properly.

Be Visible in Your Market

For the dilemma to play out in favour of the line-manager, they rely on the fact that you have no choice but to play along with it. The stronger you are in your market, the more prospects you have, the weaker the line-managers position in this dilemma is. Naturally, if they push you too hard you’ll just walk out to the competition.

1. 1. Always have your LinkedIn profile up-to-date.
   2. Build a personal PR plan to become more noticeable.
   3. Ensure you have clear opinions in your space, and make these known.

Relative to this dilemma, the objective here is to look like you’re hot property and likely to be in demand.

Have a Plan B

Always have this, no matter how positive your situation looks. Imagine just waking up one day and deciding you’re simply going to resign. What would you do? What would plan would swing into action?

You don’t have to do much other than be ready with a plan. With this in place, you will be much more confident as you engage in the dilemma if it arises. The preparation will give you certainty that if all else fails, you know what to do.

1. 1. Reflect on this fantasy scenario: on a whim, you’ve just resigned. Now, what would you do?
   2. Take specific actions to optimise your Plan B now.
   3. Don’t broadcast the existence of the plan. It is your secret confidence booster.

In this dilemma, the purpose here is to empower yourself further to give you the courage to take action to remedy any broken promises.

Know the Processes and Precedents

The most common fall-back excuses are protocol or procedure. These keep changing and are an easy route to take when breaking a promise because they can deflect responsibility – thereby avoiding damaging their relationship with you.

To be fair, there are a lot of processes in place in large organisations, and understanding and working these takes some effort on the part of the manager. Often they only realise they are not ready when they fail to win support for your promotion at the review panel.

So, let’s be generous and focus on preparing to help them to honour their promise, whatever that may be.

1. 1. Identify the formal and informal processes relevant to the promise given.
   2. Network to discover examples of these processes in action.
   3. Decide on action you can take to align with these processes.

Relevant to this dilemma, your purpose here is to help your manager to deliver on their promise.

The other vital areas that need to be attended to vary depending on individual circumstances, and are not easy to write about in a general article. So, at the very least I hope what I have shared here will put you in a stronger position.

Oh, and I took maintaining an excellent relationship, delivering on your promises, and fitting in well as a given!

 

 

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