Promises influence people’s behaviour in one of two ways:

1. A promise kept builds trust, respect, and credibility.
2. A promise broken does the opposite. 

Broken promises not only have an impact on the task and technical aspects of work, but they also have a much greater negative impact on the relational aspects of leadership. 

In order for promises to have a positive influence on other people there are three must have aspects of a promise that have to be considered. Let's explore....