WHY LEADERS MAKE PROMISES BEFORE THEY ARE READY
When someone is dissatisfied, a problem arises, or the team expects an answer, it can be easy for a leader to say, “I’ll take care of it,” “This won’t happen again,” or “We’ll have it sorted by the end of the week.”
In that moment, those words sound reassuring. People get an answer, the tension eases slightly, and the conversation can move forward.
The problem, however, arises when we make a promise before checking what actually happened, how much time is needed, who needs to be involved, and whether we even have the resources to do what we have just committed to doing.
This is not always the result of poor planning or a lack of responsibility. Sometimes, we simply find it difficult to stay in a moment when someone expects a solution from us and we do not yet have one.
When we feel under pressure, our nervous system naturally tries to reduce discomfort as quickly as possible. A quick promise can do exactly that: reassure the other person, ease the tension, and restore our sense of control over the situation.
But only briefly.
That is why the words “I’ll take care of it” do not always come solely from a genuine desire to help. They may also come from our need to escape a conversation in which we feel uncertain, powerless, or unprepared.
This is where an important distinction emerges between calming a situation and building trust.
Trust is not built by a leader always having an answer ready. It is built when people see, over time, that the leader’s words carry weight and can be relied upon.
A mature leadership response, therefore, does not always have to take the form of an immediate promise. Sometimes, much greater reassurance can be found in saying:
- “I’d like to check what is possible first.”
- “I don’t have all the information yet.”
Such a response may not immediately remove all the tension, but it can create something far more important: the sense that the leader is honest, present, and thoughtful about the commitments they make.
Leadership does not mean that we must immediately eliminate every uncertainty. Sometimes, it means remaining calm enough in the midst of uncertainty not to promise something simply because it is difficult to say, “I don’t know yet.”
An honest “Let me look into it and get back to you” often shows more respect and reliability than a promise that sounds reassuring today but cannot be kept tomorrow.
