The 36-Hour Lesson: When Reliability Made My Innovation Career

In the world of innovation, we celebrate moments of creative insight. The lightbulb moments. The ideas that seem to appear from nowhere. But after decades in the innovation trenches, I've learned a humbling truth: the unglamorous virtue of dependability has been the true differentiator in my career.

Let me take you back to a pivotal moment that shaped my entire professional trajectory. I had made a significant mistake on a critical project—the kind that makes your stomach drop. The error would require substantial rework, and our deadline was immovable. There was no time for explanations or negotiations. The customer expected delivery, period.

I stayed up for 36 straight hours over a weekend and fixed it. No one outside my direct boss and I ever knew about the near-disaster. That single act of following through—regardless of personal cost—established my reputation with leadership and followed me throughout my career.

That weekend taught me a lesson I've never forgotten: reliability creates opportunity. When people know you'll deliver on your promises no matter what, they give you the freedom to take bigger risks.

"Success isn't always about greatness. It's about consistency. Consistent hard work leads to success. Greatness will come." — Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson

The Trust Equation

Innovation runs on trust. It's simple math: Reliability builds credibility, and with credibility comes trust to work independently and permission to take risks.

Even the most brilliant idea becomes worthless if it never materializes. Your track record of following through tells people you'll make things happen regardless of the obstacles. It's the foundation upon which all creative risks must be built.

In today's workplace, excuses abound: "Requirements changed." "Resources were insufficient." "The timeline was unrealistic." Sound familiar?

But here's the hard truth: excuses—no matter how valid—erode trust. And without trust, your ability to drive innovation vanishes.

The Hidden Power of Reliability in Innovation

When we talk about innovation heroes, we focus on their creative moments. But look closer at their stories, and you'll find a bedrock of dependability supporting those moments of insight.

Here's why commitment reliability outweighs creative excellence:

It creates psychological safety. When teams know they can depend on each other, they feel safe to experiment. Failed experiments are acceptable. Failed commitments are not.

It builds momentum. Innovation isn't a single sprint; it's a marathon of incremental progress. Reliable follow-through creates the consistent forward motion that turns good ideas into reality.

It earns you champions. Every significant innovation needs influential supporters to navigate organizational politics. These champions emerge when they trust you'll make them look good by delivering on your promises.

It enables greater autonomy. Leaders grant freedom to those they trust. When you consistently deliver, you're given the space to work with less oversight and more creative liberty.

I've seen teams with moderate creative talent but excellent follow-through outperform inconsistent teams time and again. The first group builds on small successes to achieve remarkable results. The second group generates excitement but rarely crosses the finish line.

Cultivating the Discipline of Follow-Through

Reliability isn't flashy. It doesn't make for exciting headlines. But it's a muscle that can be developed with intention and practice.

Here are four specific actions to strengthen your follow-through discipline:

1. Make fewer, better promises
In our eagerness to please, we often overcommit. This is a reliability trap. Better to under-promise and over-deliver. Be selective about what you commit to, then deliver completely.

2. Communicate proactively when facing obstacles
Reliability doesn't mean never facing challenges. It means addressing those challenges head-on rather than hoping no one will notice. The moment you recognize a potential delay, speak up and present options.

3. Break commitments into visible milestones
This creates a cadence of small deliveries that builds trust incrementally and gives you early warning when things are sliding off track. Each milestone becomes a trust-building opportunity.

4. Model reliability to create a culture of follow-through
Teams mirror their leaders' behavior. When you model unwavering commitment to delivery, it becomes the standard. Your personal reliability ripples outward, influencing everyone around you.

The Personal Cost and Reward

That 36-hour weekend was grueling. I don't recommend that specific approach as a regular practice. But sometimes reliability requires personal sacrifice.

What I've discovered is that these moments of sacrifice yield disproportionate returns in trust and opportunity. That single weekend opened doors throughout my career because it demonstrated something fundamental about my character.

In contrast, I've watched creative colleagues sabotage promising careers with a pattern of unfulfilled commitments. Their ideas were impressive, but their implementation was inconsistent. Eventually, people stopped betting on them.

The Innovation Reality

Here's the truth: the more reliable you are, the more creative risks you're allowed to take. When people trust you to deliver, they become more comfortable with the uncertainty inherent in innovation.

In a world obsessed with disruption and creative thinking, we've overlooked this fundamental principle. Reliability isn't the enemy of creativity; it's its greatest ally.

So if you're looking to make your mark in innovation, cultivate your creative thinking. But don't neglect the quiet discipline of following through. It's not as exciting as ideation, but it's what separates those who transform industries from those who merely have good ideas.

Your reputation for reliability might just be the most valuable asset you'll ever develop. I know it has been for me.

This post was first published in my Studio Notes newsletter on Substack. If you want to be the first to get future posts, subscribe over on Substack.