A promise I remember 11 years later

There are certain stories that from my time as an employee that keep coming back to me, many years later. Here's one. It shaped what I personally aspire to.

It was in 2014, when my Senior Leader had made a promise. It ended with a let-down I still remember 11 years later.

There was no mistake about it at that time. He announced it in a public meeting to me and my peers. "Within the next 365 days, I’ll have a skipped-level meeting with each of you.” His promise was clear — no mistaking it.

I was genuinely excited. Skip-level meetings—a chance to connect directly with senior leadership, share ideas, maybe learn something valuable outside the usual chain of command. I mentally marked my calendar: "Sometime this year."

Then, the waiting began. Weeks turned into months. Six months passed. Nine. Still nothing. Not a word from him, not a scheduling request through my boss. It felt like the promise had just evaporated into thin air.

When would we finally meet?

I remember sitting in a noisy Singapore coffee shop, the familiar clatter fading as I slowly stirred my favorite Kopi C Kosong. That simple, repetitive motion seemed to unlock the thought: It wasn't going to happen. The silence wasn’t an oversight; it was the answer.

My eager anticipation didn't just fade; it curdled into a quiet, nagging disappointment. It wasn't just about missing the meeting. It felt like the commitment had been forgotten altogether.

I felt disappointed. Then I sighed and mentally 'filed' it.

Years later, I bumped into him briefly. We exchanged polite smiles, a short chat about something unrelated. But the main thing I remembered about this leader I once admired? It was the skip-level meeting that I had so looked forward to and that had never happened.

It’s strange. I trust he meant it when he made that public commitment in front of us. He probably just got busy, overwhelmed by the demands of his role. But for me, that forgotten promise became his legacy. It taught me a simple, hard lesson: In leadership, there are no small promises, only promises. And the ones you break echo loudest.