I had a boss that used to say "No statement of intentions, only commitments" whenever he was going around asking for completion dates for tasks. All of us come to work with only good intentions - to do well, to contribute, to help. Sometimes it doesn't happen for whatever reasons, but since we came with good intention, we'd find it difficult to accept that the work was not "completely done". This is also a point of contention with the manager because when people miss out seemingly small things like completing only 90% of unit testings, not "fully" documenting the code, cutting corner with the processes, showing up "just 5 minutes late" or my favourite "not bothering to use NI's standard power-point template". Commitment, like Excellence and Attention to Detail etc., is also a personal choice and difficult to teach (this is why I argue that we should be looking more than skills while hiring).
Next time when you are asking or giving commitment make sure it is not just a statement of intent.
Happy to quote Seth Godin (again) - "Commitment is the only thing that gets you through the chasm. Commitment takes you from "that's a fine idea" to "its done." Commitment is risky, because if you fail, it's on you. On the other hand without commitment, you will fail, because art unshipped isn't art".
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