The small promise managers break without noticing
“Let me get back to you” sounds harmless and responsible. Each time the follow-up never arrives, though, it chips away at how much your team relies on your word.
THE QUICK ANSWER
“Let me get back to you” feels harmless, but it spends your credibility every time the follow-up never comes. The team learns that your commitments are optional, so they stop bringing you things that need a decision, not because they no longer need one but because they no longer expect one. The fix is never to say it without a specific day, such as “Let me get back to you by Thursday.”
GO DEEPER
Why open-ended promises erode trust
The phrase is a natural response when you do not have an answer to hand. It buys time, sounds courteous and avoids making a decision on the spot. In a busy week it can be said several times a day without much thought.
Without a date attached, though, there is nothing to remind you or hold you to it, and many of these promises quietly lapse. Your team notices. Their requests become smaller and slower, because they have learned that bringing you something may not lead anywhere.
The video’s fix is to never use the phrase without a specific day: “Let me get back to you by Thursday.” Adding the day turns a vague placeholder into a deadline you have set for yourself. It also gives the other person a clear point at which to follow up if needed.
The date only builds trust if you keep it. If Thursday arrives and you still do not have the answer, get back to them anyway with an update and a new date. A short, honest message is far better than silence.
KEY TAKEAWAY
A follow-up without a date is easy to forget and easy to doubt. Attach a specific day to every “I’ll get back to you”, and keep it.
TEST YOURSELF
