For me, trust starts with clear communication. People need to understand what they are committing to and what they can rely on. Commitment-Based Management helps make those agreements specific.
The visible connection between the supports represents a clear agreement between two people.
Imagine a colleague sends you a text and says AI has already prepared it. You need to forward it to a customer. But you have not discussed whether she has checked the content or expects you to do that. Before using it, you need a clear explanation of what she is handing over.
Discuss what you are committing to
Saying a text is finished leaves several questions unanswered. Does that mean a first draft? Has anyone checked the details against current documents? Is it ready to send to a customer? If you have different ideas of what finished means, you will also make different plans for the work that follows.
My basis for this is Commitment-Based Management, or CBM. One person commits to delivering a specific result to another by an agreed time. Both need to understand what that means. They must also be able to discuss the necessary conditions before making the commitment.
In this example, your colleague could commit to sending you a checked response to the customer's question. You would discuss which details she will verify and which decisions remain with you. If she can only provide a first draft, she should say so. You can then plan your own work accordingly.
Making the commitment specific
01
What are you committing to?
You say what you will deliver, to whom and by when. Together, you agree what finished means.
02
What does it depend on?
You explain which information is available and what still needs resolving before delivery.
03
What does the other person need?
They need to know what they can use and which questions remain theirs. You must also be able to give a reasoned no.
The graphic follows the handover of a customer response. The commitment is between the people involved, even when AI helps write the text.
People need to be able to say no
A person needs to be able to say that they cannot commit under the current conditions. In this example, your colleague may be missing up-to-date information. She may be able to prepare a draft but unable to check its content herself. Once she says so, you can agree who will do the remaining work.
Someone asking for a commitment must therefore be willing to hear a reasoned refusal. The question becomes what is still needed to make a reliable commitment. Does the colleague need more information? Does someone else need to check the work? Is the proposed date unrealistic? A premature yes leaves you unaware of those details.
For me, that is part of a leader's responsibility. People need room to describe their situation openly. When someone raises a difficulty early, you can act with the people involved while there is still room to adjust. You need to want to understand what lies behind their response.
Discuss changes with the people affected
Even a carefully discussed commitment can be affected when circumstances change. A detail may be corrected, or essential information may arrive late. The person who made the commitment should tell the other person as soon as they recognise its effect.
You can then reach a new agreement. Moving a date in a list is not enough. The person expecting the result needs to know what has changed and what it means for their work. In this example, you would also need to discuss whether the customer can still receive the response on time.
An open explanation lets the people involved adjust their next steps. They understand what remains dependable and what they need to discuss again. For me, that understanding is an important part of trust between colleagues.
AI contributes; people stand behind the commitment
AI can organise information, prepare a text and assist with checking. The person passing it on remains responsible for whether its content fits the task and is ready to use. A handover therefore needs to make sense even to someone unfamiliar with the AI being used.
I want to know what a person is taking responsibility for and which questions remain open. A clear commitment helps me decide how to proceed with my own work. Communicating this way also makes AI-assisted work easier to understand. We establish that basis through communication between people.
