I remember the day I told my daughter Samara, who was then five, that I was going on a trip for one night. "Please don’t go, Daddy," she begged.

When I wouldn’t agree to stay, she threw an all-out tantrum. I knew that was the risk when I told her. I could have said nothing and let her mother explain my absence, or I could have pretended to give in by saying that "I’d see" if I could get out of it.

Actually I couldn’t. You see, I had made a decision long before to establish relationships of unquestioned trust with my children. I knew that even well-intentioned lies, deceptions, and broken promises could be land mines to trust.

When she calmed down, she took a new tack: "Take me with you." When this didn’t work, she came up with her final offer: "Then I want you to wear this tie." And she got a tie she had given me for Father’s Day. It was a special tie, one that she’d drawn pictures on.

When I dressed for my trip, I thought of putting the tie in my briefcase and wearing one more appropriate. But a promise is a promise, so I wore the tie. During my talk, I told the tie story in the context of trust, pointing out that while I was certain my daughter would never know if I wore the tie or not, trust is too precious to take chances with.

When I returned the next afternoon, I went straight to my office. My wife showed up in a surprise visit with Samara. She’d never done that before. When Samara saw I was wearing her tie, she beamed and gave me a huge hug.

I was so glad I kept my promise to that little girl.

This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.