The Character of Dependability

Character Leadership - The Character of Dependability

“Ability without dependability has no value” – unknown.

Definition:  Able to be trusted to act in the way required or expected even if it means unexpected sacrifices.

Unreliability and Unpredictability are the opposites of dependability. Having an erratic and unpredictable personality that displays irresponsibility behaviors makes people wants to stay away from you. On the other hand, when you are reliable and trustworthy, people will respect and honor you. Being dependable also mean that we have to continue in our commitment to finish a given task even if it means a certain level of personal sacrifices. Dependability is the quality of always being there for others from family, friends as well as neighbors and the others around us.

As Character Leaders, the character of dependability, once lost, people around us will not trust us and it is very difficult to gain it back again. Hence, if we are unable to fulfill a task or a promise, we do not give our words we will. If we give our words, we must ensure we fulfill it. Being dependable is a reflection of our priorities, if your priorities are not trustworthiness centered then you will not show good character to others. Being trustworthy shows our commitment to others by being a person who cares for them personally as well as for just a charitable cause.

Reflections:

Ask yourself; “Am I a dependable person to my family, friends and colleagues?” Our dependability needs to be built on the fact that our family, friends and colleagues are dependable with us because we should response to what these people may have done for us out of a sense of gratitude. Likewise, we are also dependable on them the same way. Hence, we must find the time to spend with them to build the trust. 

As Character leaders, we must extend ourselves to other people with dependability and what flows out of dependability are trust and confidence. If we treasure our reputation we will make sure that whatever we promise or say we will do, we will carry it out. This is important than a written contract and overtime, people will accept whatever we say with confidence. One way to avoid breaking promises is to be careful with what is promised in the first place. If we are not sure that we can carry out the promise, we should assure with “I will try my best” which is different from “Yes I promised to do as agreed”. If we make a commitment and do not fulfill it, we are looked upon as unreliable and this is a bad attitude to have. We must remember that when we make a commitment, we did it of our own accord.