Become everyone's favourite collaborator.

We all have to work with others at our jobs. And the longer you work at one place, the more you’ll gain a reputation for how you are to work with. Developing and maintaining a good reputation as a collaborator does a lot of things for you:

• you’ll get more interesting or visible project work,

• your manager will trust you more, and

• you’ll build a network you can rely on in the future.

Being reliable can be an incredible differentiator, and if you’re deliberate about it, you can get really good at it quite easily. “Being reliable” is more than just doing what you said you’d do – it also means not having to be chased up.

⚡️ The ultimate reliability formula:

1. Commit to what you can actually commit to.

2. Follow through with it.

3. Update everyone on progress before they ask.

How do you learn to be reliable? Here’s where technology is most useful. When I agree to something, I always put a reminder in my calendar for providing updates – not just the deadline. That way, you get to be super reliable without having to develop a perfect memory.

🍔 A note on biting off more than you can chew – 

Sometimes you’ll make a bad call on what you can actually deliver. Reliable people aren’t immune to this, but the way they behave is what helps others maintain that trust: the second you realise you can’t follow through with what you committed to, communicate it:

1. Own the screw-up without being overly defensive. Try not to blame others – you don’t want to be known as someone who avoids accountability.

2. Propose a new solution. Proactively provide a new timeline, or a change to scope, or whatever you’re going to do next.