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[12/24] Advent of Writing

A useful way to evaluate yourself is what I call your do-say ratio: how much of what you say you’re going to do actually gets done.

A high do-say ratio is a powerful signal. It means people can trust your word. A low one has the opposite effect. When you regularly say you’ll do things and don’t follow through, people stop believing you. Worse, you start to feel that disconnect yourself. Saying you’ll do something and not doing it chips away at your own sense of reliability.

This matters everywhere, but it’s especially important at work because you need to be known as someone who follows through.

Since becoming a manager, this has become even more top-of-mind for me. Though still important as an IC, your commitments are more contained. As a manager, it’s incredibly easy to casually say “I’ll look into that” or “I’ll follow up” and then let it slip. The nature of the role means people remember what you say, even when you forget. That gap creates disappointment fast.

I’m not perfect at this. I’ve dropped the ball plenty of times. But simply keeping the do-say ratio in mind changes behavior. You commit more carefully, you prioritize more honestly, and when you do say yes, you’re more likely to make sure it actually happens.

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