Trust: Are You Building It or Breaking It?

Have you ever found yourself losing trust in someone simply because they didn't keep their word?

This week, I had an experience that was incredibly frustrating yet truly eye-opening—and I felt strongly compelled to share it with you.

Why Your Word Matters

In this episode, I dive deep into the significance and power of keeping our word, showing up on time, and following through on commitments.

I candidly share my personal experience, illustrating just how quickly trust and respect can erode when agreements are overlooked or neglected.

But this isn't just a session of airing grievances—far from it!

Instead, we explore how honoring our commitments strengthens our identities, enhances our reputations, and fosters deeper, more meaningful trust.

If you've ever struggled with keeping your commitments or find yourself frequently dealing with someone who doesn’t follow through, this episode offers relatable insights and practical tips to positively transform your approach in business and in life.

I promise you'll come away with valuable insights to ponder. I'd love to hear your thoughts—let's keep the conversation going!

Resources:

• Want to increase your profitability? Grab my book “The Profit Bleed.“
• Looking to grow your construction business? Check out our exclusive group "The Contractors Collective.”
• Want employees to take more ownership? Check out our course - “Build Your Dream Team.”
• Are you struggling to hire the right people? Check out our “Contractors Hiring Blueprint” course.

Connect with Vicki on social media:

• YouTube: Vicki Suiter
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vickisuiter
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SuiterBusinessBuilders

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Transcript

Hello and welcome back to another episode of The Profit Builder Unscripted.

If you’ve ever had the experience of someone not keeping their word—or breaking an agreement—you’re going to want to listen to this one. Alright, let’s jump in.

Something happened this week that was super frustrating, and I felt really compelled to share it with you. I think this experience might be worth thinking about the next time someone on your team makes an agreement—or you do—and it doesn’t get kept.

A couple of weeks ago, I reached out to a friend and associate of mine to help with some marketing. I’ve known him for a long time. He’s smart, capable, and someone I genuinely like. When I first contacted him, I asked, “Hey, I know you’re really busy. Are you sure you have the capacity to take on another client?” He was absolutely certain—very clear that yes, he had the time, the bandwidth, and the desire to take on this project.

We had our first meeting, and it went great. I explained what we’ve been doing and where we needed support. At the end, we scheduled a second meeting with Dorotha on my team to go deeper and get specific about what we’d be working on. He promised to come prepared—he’d review the info I sent and outline a plan.

Then, a half-hour before the meeting, I get an email from his assistant saying, “He’s double-booked and needs to push back by 30 minutes.” Dorotha and I reshuffled our schedules to accommodate. But then, he only had 30 minutes for us instead of the full hour.

When the meeting started, he explained how future meetings would work, but he didn’t present the plan we’d discussed. We didn’t really get much accomplished. I thought maybe I misunderstood his commitment. But afterward, I remembered—he was also going to give me feedback on a couple of website proposals. I hadn’t heard from him about those.

I followed up via email. Nothing. Texted him. Still nothing.

The next day, he messaged me and said, “I’ll have an answer for you by the end of the day.” I replied, “Great! And will we also have the proposal for the scope of work by the end of the week?” He said, “Yep, you’ll have it.”

I eventually got the feedback on the website proposals, but the proposal for the scope of work? Still nothing. Monday came—no proposal. Tuesday came—still nothing.

At that point, I started losing confidence and trust. He hadn’t followed through. And worse, when he did finally respond, there was no apology. No acknowledgment that he’d broken an agreement.

Let me be clear: if you’ve followed me for a while, you know I don’t believe in vague expectations or making assumptions. What I teach is the importance of explicit agreements—ones that are specific, measurable, and time-driven.

And in this case, we had clear agreements. But he didn’t follow through. And he didn’t take responsibility when it was brought to his attention. I’m still waiting on that proposal.

Now, I’m not just sharing this to complain. What really struck me is how often this happens in business. We say we’re going to do something—by a certain time—and then we don’t. And we don’t acknowledge it. We don’t apologize. And that damages trust.

Things happen—of course. Life throws curveballs. I get that. It happens to me too. But when it does, I renegotiate the agreement before it becomes a broken agreement.

For example, if I said I’d be somewhere at noon but realize I won’t make it, I’ll call before noon and say, “I’m so sorry, I’ll be there at 12:10.” No excuses. Just take responsibility. That simple act keeps trust intact.

This person could’ve just emailed: “I’m sorry. I promised to get that to you by Friday, but I need a few more days. Will Wednesday work instead?” Something. Anything. But instead—crickets.

And the longer the silence goes on, the more trust erodes. And that’s the last thing I want in a working relationship.

Because I care about this person, I will have a conversation with him. I’ll say, “I don’t think this is the identity you want to be building in your life or business.”

But it made me wonder: how often do people not say anything to us? How often does someone lose confidence in us, and we never know why?

If we just did two things in business—show up on time and do what we say we’re going to do—we’d be ahead of the game.

Saying “noon” and showing up at 12:01? That’s not noon. Saying you’ll deliver something by Friday and missing it? That breaks trust. Those little things chip away at our identity, our reputation, and people’s belief in us.

I learned this lesson the hard way in my 20s. I used to be terrible with time. Always late, always breaking agreements, always had a story. Thankfully, I did a training that woke me up. It taught me the importance of honoring my word and renegotiating when I couldn’t.

So, I hope this story has sparked something for you. These moments—while small—are powerful in shaping how we show up as leaders, and how we build trust with our teams and clients.

Thank you for being here. I always appreciate you listening and being part of this community. I’d love to hear your thoughts—feel free to share. And I’ll see you next time on The Profit Builder Unscripted.