Reliability

Hands down, a huge pet peeve of mine is a lack of reliability. 

Let me be clear, this is by no means to say that I am impatient. I often provide people countless opportunities to be reliable. But, I've learned over time that the more patient I am with something, the higher my expectations get.

I've found it critical to try to express my expectations as soon as I recognize them or to provide just-in-time feedback when they are not met. I've learned to own my expectations and that I cannot be critical if I have not made them clear. Too often, I've held too much confidence that issues will work themselves out to avoid conflict instead of bringing things up.

I have learned that I cannot make assumptions on how others perceive expectations. I need to remind myself that expectations include my definition of "common sense" for things that may seem obvious to me. I have found that others do not or may not evaluate my expectations, which motivates the need to be clear and timely in my communication of them. 

Ultimately, I define reliability as the ownership of your commitments and the thoughtfulness to think about potential expectations therein. It's a balance between respecting others, knowing yourself, and acknowledging the potential of unknowns.

Finally, it's a conscious recognition of when reliability violates accountability and having the confidence to act on it. And, the reminder to act authentically and sensitive to the others impacted by your action.

I'm writing this to serve as a reminder to remain forever vigilant in managing my own reliability and the need for transparency with others.