The boss who promises the client things: after the promise, and before the next one
The contractor's owner returns from lunch saying the hotel lobby will open three weeks early. The project manager has not reviewed that option with the trades. Another client promise now needs a prompt conversation about feasibility and the message the company will send.
Discuss the specific promise privately with your boss, show its checked implications and agree who will give the client an accurate response. Do not assume the promise has no effect because the project manager was not consulted. Have the authorized commercial team review that question. For the repeating pattern, offer a short pre-meeting briefing and a practical way to check dates, scope and price before commitments are made.
Handle this promise and improve the next conversation
- Confirm what was actually said. Ask for the wording, requested result, audience and any written follow-up. Separate a tentative option from a stated commitment without rewriting an inconvenient conversation. Record what remains unclear and who needs to check it.
- Prepare the project implications. Review the proposed date or extra against scope, trades, prerequisites and resources with the relevant team. Show assumptions, uncertainties and choices. Do not turn a quick reaction into a confident price or say an impossible option is feasible to avoid disagreeing with the owner.
- Agree the company's response. Explain the issue privately and offer factual wording, with appropriate commercial advice. Confirm who contacts the client, the decision needed and when. Avoid secretly reversing the boss's words or protecting their pride by passing an unreviewed demand to the crew.
- Propose a workable commitment check. Agree how the executive obtains a current project view before giving a date, scope or price. Provide a named backup when you are unavailable. This is an internal communication arrangement; actual authority and contract treatment still need their own review.
- Send a useful pre-meeting brief. Summarize current milestones, unresolved decisions, approved options and statements needing qualification. Keep it short enough to use, with an update time and contact. Review later promises against the agreed process rather than repeatedly sending an angry note after lunch.
A private proposal to the boss
Common mistakes
- Assuming an unconsulted promise is automatically void.
- Giving crews an unchecked demand to spare the boss embarrassment.
- Sending a long complaint without a practical decision route.
Checklist
The promise-review conversation
- Actual wording and audience.
- Checked project implications.
- Uncertainties and feasible options.
- Authorized commercial review.
- Agreed client-response owner.
- Briefing and future check contact.
Check your understanding
The boss agrees to call you before future promises. Does that settle the one already made?
