Are we all committed? Who’s in?

We mistake verbal agreement for commitment. 

                                                          As a leader, you need to know the difference.

By definition, commitment is about binding yourself to something by taking decisive action to do it. 

A rally cry isn’t commitment. Being in the arena is commitment.

Demanding commitment is authoritarian and will breed fear and resentment. You’ll never, ever, get the result you want by demanding someone be committed. Leaders who don’t understand this, abuse this. And it blows up on them days, weeks, or months later. Then, they’re surprised. They shouldn’t be. Compliance isn’t commitment. 

If you’re the leader doing the demanding, reach out to me to get some guidance on what true executive presence is and how to influence appropriately. 

You cannot feel committed to something!
Commitment is an action; it’s behavioral. You demonstrate commitment. Your emotions might or might not support it. It’s the behavior that demonstrates whether you’re in or not.

You could say, “I feel really strongly about shedding five pounds, learning a new language, getting my finances in order, going on a trip, etc.” Until you take any action toward those things, you’re not committed. 

I’ve worked with countless organizations who have wishes that they call commitments. They’re “committed” to building culture or to creating a learning organization. They’re committed to collaboration. And yet, funds are diverted from programs they’re “committed” to because they didn’t actually value them. That’s not commitment. That’s barely even what I’d call intention. 

Commitment comes in the form of doing. For organizations, that often means asset allocation. As an individual, it might mean the same for you, as well. Can you put your money, time, and attention where your intention is? Then, take action.

When you’re committed, you rule out things that aren’t on the radar for that commitment. You keep your focus on the outcome and take action, working toward it. Sports, business, and your relationship(s) all require action to demonstrate commitment.

And don’t confuse becoming a martyr to the cause for being committed. You’re not “committed” if you get yourself on a path to burnout. As a leader, you cannot demand or expect commitment to look like a 70-or-80-hour workweek. That’s not commitment and it’s certainly not sustainable.

That said, if you’re working on a passion-project and you lose yourself in it, finding yourself awake at 4am, being pulled toward it because there’s a love-bond between you and your creative efforts, then getting up and sitting with it is the action step that leads to the next. Yes, that’s commitment.

Commitment, as with everything leading you to your Next Big Next, begins with a decision. You choose. That’s active. 

You deliberately, intentionally, allocate resources (usually time and sometimes money) toward what it is you desire. This, too, is active. 

And finally, you stay in it, even when (or especially when) it gets hard. You chose something to commit to. You’re building something special. And as you build it, you grow. As you grow, you’ll encounter difficulties. Commitment is about staying in it, not deciding you’ve had enough.  

Imagine a top athlete deciding that getting that bit better was just too hard. 
That’s not a top athlete. 
The same is true for you when you step into something bigger than you are. Your business, your relationships, your finances, your health, your community projects, they all require your time, attention, and active participation. Staying in it, that’s commitment.

Keep making your magic.

See you here next week.

= Wayne = 
Check out the NEW Exponential Success Summit. 
It’s a small group designed for you! Boston in early October. 
(We’re headed to Helsinki in May.)
Reach out if you want to join us.