Have you ever had a service company just show up at your door even though they told you someone would call first?

Have you ever had a co-worker promise they would get information to you but then drop the ball?

Have you ever asked a sales person to get back to you on a proposal but then they never did?

This quote is straight from the Big Success Blog:Failure to Do This Harms Relationships post. Actually, I could pull the whole post here, from “Follow-through: an essential element to building your personal brand.” to “Say what you’ll do, then do what you say.”

In the last few months as I was looking for a new job, I contacted a good number of recruiters. Most of them I contacted on LinkedIn, which really is a good site, but did not really help me with this problem so far.

They were all happy and glad and “I will gladly help you, Roland” and all the promises, up to the point where they got my resume and had me in their network. Then nothing. Nada. Silence. “Each voice is hush’d; through silent lanes To silent homes they creep.” as the poet wrote.

Of course, it’s not only me, a lot of people see this “black hole effect” as something rather annoying.

Not helping someone because he is not good, is not for the position he tried to get is alright, and absolutely acceptable. Promising earth and sky and then disappearing is not. It hurts your name, for I know that you are not trustworthy and if you ever appear with an offer, why do you think I will believe you? Especially since even sending the mail you promised, or simply sending a response mail “Sorry, but at the moment I have nothing for you.” is too hard, too much effort.

But most of all, if you are not sure that you can help, if you are not sure what I or any of the candidates can offer, don’t make promises.

Because, and now comes the surprise, it hurts your name, it hurts your brand.

And to lighten the mood, here is the rest of the title:

Sonnet 34 Why didst thou promise such a beauteous day

Why didst thou promise such a beauteous day,
And make me travel forth without my cloak,
To let base clouds o’ertake me in my way,
Hiding thy bravery in their rotten smoke?
‘Tis not enough that through the cloud thou break,
To dry the rain on my storm-beaten face,
For no man well of such a salve can speak
That heals the wound and cures not the disgrace:
Nor can thy shame give physic to my grief;
Though thou repent, yet I have still the loss:
The offender’s sorrow lends but weak relief
To him that bears the strong offence’s cross.
Ah! but those tears are pearl which thy love sheds,
And they are rich and ransom all ill deeds.