15 Ways to Invite and Ignite Commitment
The ability to inspire commitment is the ability to create the future.
Poor leaders invite apathy. Successful leaders ignite commitment.
Uncommitted people:
- Lack energy.
- Pull back.
- Hang around for selfish reasons.
- Save their energy for what matters.
- Aren’t happy.
Those who aren’t committed find fault; those who are find a way.
15 ways to inspire commitment:
- Make people feel they are in the know by practicing transparency. Share information. Outsiders don’t commit.
- Expect a lot from yourself and others. Don’t settle for average. Mediocrity doesn’t ignite commitment.
- Celebrate personal growth. Be a leader who isn’t there yet. Allow others to see you developing yourself.
- Help people feel they matter, belong, and make a difference.
- Focus on purpose. High purpose behaviors increase meaning. Meaning invites commitment. Do something that matters.
- Define success on personal and organizational levels. What does success look like today? It’s impossible to commit when you don’t know where you’re going.
- Track progress.
- Lean into tough issues with optimism. Don’t pretend things are OK when they aren’t.
- Engage in behaviors that energize people. Don’t take energy for granted. Gain knowledge and understanding of your teammates in order to fuel their energy.
- Get things done. People don’t commit to drifters.
- Practice curiosity. Ask about current activities and future aspirations.
- Enjoy the success of others.
- Be honest. Avoid spin.
- Provide development opportunities like coaching, mentoring, and training.
- Achieve results through relationship. Don’t treat people like tools. Treat them like people.
What might you add to 15 ways to inspire commitment?
What are your top three ways to inspire commitment from others?
Download MS Word: 15 WAYS TO INVITE AND IGNITE COMMITMENT
The comment “uncommitted people lack energy” really hit me. It’s important as a manager to work to get the team to buy-in. I’ll add that to my took-kit.
Thanks Bill. I really appreciate your connection between commitment, energy, and buy-in.
I am going to need several of these this week, not least of which is focus on purpose. Thanks, Dan.
Thanks Steven. It’s great how things change when we connect current tasks to purpose. What was meaningless and drudgery, now has meaning. It’s not about the doing but the purpose.
Another thing about becoming committed to something is making it part of your routine so that you do that thing at the same time each day. That’s if you are needing to commit to a repetitive task such as exercise, practicing an instrument, taking medications.
In terms of getting someone to commit to the orgfanisation, I think that can be boosted by also offering a commitment or interest in their needs as an individual as well as part of the corporation. There’s that reciprocity. This could simply involve stopping for a brief chat or asking a couple of questions or having a regular social thing like drinks.
Thanks Rowena. Commitment requires a clear channel of expression. It can’t be a vague. The idea of a routine that expresses commitment is powerful. A routine answers the question of how we will know what commitment looks like.
Regarding your second point. It seems that if we expect people to be committed to us, we should be committed to them.
I have enjoyed reading your feedbacks. You have appreciated and reinforced every idea. I image you as a teacher who encourages their students at every step. I bet that in your class every student is not ashamed to participate in.
Good morning Dan;
Todays blog reinforces the vast importance of choosing the rite fit & mix of people when leaders are involved in Team Building, & especially when leaders are choosing indiviuals regarding close partnerships. No two human beings are alike, nor do we all think the same. ‘However’, (especially) where partnerships are concerned, “it behove’s of a Leader to choose individuals who are (Like-minded).” Someone who share’s your core value’s, work ethic, and more importantly an indiviual of strong character that is respected by others. Beside’s, when we decide to ‘go on a hike’, we DON’T invite those along who aren’t going our way. We invite others along that ARE going our way.
When leaders compile a group of like-minded people, teams are more cohesive, they share commonality with core values and vision while goals & aspirations are aligned. Leaders we respect get results by inspiring others to commit to the mission. Their day to day work ethic and positive attitude set’s the tone for the team.
Choose the rite people, provide proper training, assure that vision and mission are perfectly clear and that everyone is working off the same sheet of music. Be there for them WHEN THEY NEED YOUR HELP, but only when ask, “unless their going down for the 3rd time!”
Inviting and igniting commitment is a Leaders most important responsability. You either inspire others to “Get the job done”, or, “plan on doing it all yourself!”
Cheers Dan
SGT Steve
Love your messages and look forward to them! Would love to use these messages as inspirations for my staff besides myself. Designing the page to be printable as one-page layout would hlep! thank you!
Quoting: “Those who aren’t committed find fault; those who are find a way.” to me this says it all! Great list as usual. Could sum them all by saying “Be empathetic and trustworthy.”
Might add “Be a good listener who remembers and follows up!!!”
Leadership 101! It’s sad that many organizations have people in leadership position that fail at least ‘work’ at mastering these!!!
It’s not happy people who are thankful: It’s thankful, grateful, “committed” people who are happy. There are many definitions of commitment, generally though persons who are committed are those who put “obligations before rights.” Perhaps more importantly, those who are not committed are hesitant, ineffective, and lack fulfillment professionally and personally.
Until we are committed, our acts of performance, initiative, creativity and creation are just a wind’s blow away from sudden death. When we are not committed, a five-minute spiel of negativism or ridicule or just plain disbelief from a dream-nothing, do-nothing, nay-saying person—and our enthusiasm falls down to zero.
However, committed persons experience a providence, which they could have never dreamed comes their way. It’s both an inner strength and outer force which does not allow any negative, cynical attitudes of others to punch holes in their dreams or energy, and encourages them to overcome challenges, obstacles and fear. Nothing can rob them of their faith, desire and ability to get the job done and make their vision a reality. The committed refuse to allow anyone who lie on the couch all day and watch TV all night to tell them how futile life is. That’s commitment.
Commitment has genius, power and magic in it.
Books;
Bravo to you Books, very well said. (“VERY WELL SAID!”)
SGT Steve
Without #15 one might as well throw the other 14 away!! This is the one area most young highly motivated, freshly educated, inexperienced, theory driven leaders fail miserably with.