Your to-do list shows who you are

You say that your son matters to you the most but if spending time with him is not all over your list, it conveys something else.

You say that creating a business that is not evil is most important to you but your project manager’s to-do list includes hiding a project risk so that your client will eventually have to opt for buying additional resources from you that otherwise would not be required, it shows something.

Similarly an organization publishes everywhere that their primary value system involves around ensuring about delivering happiness but most of the employees’ work-item backlog includes accomplishing whatever is in their list, no matter what it takes then it highlights a totally different thing.

All of the above events highlight the gap between what is said and what is on the list.

Well, the problem is not with spending no time with your son and creating an evil business or expecting employees to work for long hours but the actual problem lies in saying something and doing something else.

Saying something and doing something else invites people not to believe in you, affects what you intend to achieve adversely and reduces your credibility. That isn’t a wiser act, is it?

Instead, choose to say what you intend to do. Say that for you your son is second priority, earning money matters to you the most no matter how and getting things done by sacrificing anything is what you value as an organization.

Being specific about what matters to you and communicating it clearly would prevent many problems that you encounter otherwise.

Oh, and it’s not a matter of being right or wrong, its a matter of being CLEAR about what matters to you.

Your to-do lists don’t lie, then why do you?