You have it all.

Smart, well spoken, educated and experienced.

The crest of what any company would want to put on its front line with an elevator straight to the executive level.

But hold on, I read through your whole resume and I can’t find dependable on it anywhere?

Perhaps it is one of the more undervalued traits of an executive, but it should never be underestimated.

That is why dependable needs to be at the epicenter of your being and one of the most notable traits when it comes to how you operate at work, and moreover in life.

Because businesses undoubtedly need smart people to succeed. But smart and not reliable are a recipe for a whole lot of under achieving.

Imagine this…

Your company is given the opportunity to compete for a prestigious contract that will make the company’s year.

In order to respond to the contract you are going to need a team of people to review the documents, create your proposal, validate that the proposal will work and your pricing is correct. Simultaneously you need to make sure that the project doesn’t become such a distraction that your current customers are ignored or left with a bad taste in their mouth.

And of course…

You need to bring your “A” game to the table if your team is given the chance to present.

Now, imagine your team working on this project is made up of 3 or 4 members.

What happens if just one of the players doesn’t carry their weight?

What if the one not carrying their weight has some of the most important knowledge when it comes to adequately preparing this proposal?

It is easy to say find someone else or get rid of the dead weight.

I get it..I say the same thing in jest.

However, what if time doesn’t allow such a change? What if you have to make it work?

or how about this…What if the person you cannot depend on is senior or a peer to you?

This creates the case for not just being smart and experienced but being reliable.

In my career I attribute 2 things to what has helped me meet my goals.

First, having an Educated Opinion, which I recently discussed. And second being reliable.

I don’t think enough can be said for being the kind of team member that those around you can count on.

Your customers, your colleagues and your leadership.

You should shoot to be the kind of contributor where people say…

“She is the type of employee that I can count on to meet deadlines, contribute ideas and deliver winning outcomes.”

Not the type where they say…

“He is super smart and really knows his stuff, I just worry whether or not he will show up or be on time and have the presentation prepared.”

It is a subtle nuance, but stakeholders seek to work with those that get things done and done well.

Hence Smart, educated and well-spoken; But perhaps most importantly reliable.

So how reliable are you?