Commitment. This is an interesting word when it comes to leadership in our ever changing world. I can be quite committed to trying to understand how my new device works, but it seems there is an upgrade or new model just about the time I have figured it out.
A device is different than a team though. Some of the easiest teams to lead are those who are inexperienced. For example, if you have a young child and have coached their team as long as the kids know you care about them they will do whatever you say, even if you have no clue what you are doing. As an aside I would suggest this is only true until the children reach about 12 or 13 years old which is when they ignore you if they sense you don’t know what you are doing. This is commitment at the purest level and that commitment comes from a foundation of trust in you as the leader.
Last time I showed how part of John Maxwell’s suggested formula for success was to have a team committed to working hard together. Let me expand on that concept of commitment a little more from another expert.
Author Jeff Janssen in his book How to Build and Sustain a Championship Culture refers to commitment as a continuum. His book is written for sport coaches, but the principles apply in multiple settings. Go here to see his continuum. In brief it goes through phases like this:
Resistant – Reluctant – Existant – Compliant – Committed – Compelled and occasionally you have the Obsessed individual
This is a wide spectrum and as a leader you have probably experienced individuals on each part of the spectrum in any team you have led. Take a second to look at this and decide where you fall in relation to what you are leading because I would suggest the majority of those you lead will only be as committed as you are and those who are more committed than you may be leading your team instead of you soon.
Obviously as a leader one does not want resistant, reluctant, or necessarily existent individuals on their team, but committed and compelled members help the team rise to a higher level. The challenge of the obsessed member is they are committed to the cause at such a high level they tend to lose perspective and possibly effectiveness when working with the team.
Let me highlight some of the characteristics of the committed and compelled members that Janssen describes.
Committed – Willingly go the extra mile. Self-motivated. Take Initiative. Realize that challenges are a necessary part of becoming successful.
Compelled – No matter the obstacle these people will get it done. They will not rest until the job is done. They have high expectations of themselves and others. They want to accomplish something special. They are like magnets drawn to their goals and they draw others.
In our world that is constantly changing are you modeling commitment to the vision you are pursuing or is the vision a moving target? The methods to achieve the vision may change as well as some of the goals, but there should be a commitment to the plan to help develop commitment. Additionally, your commitment will bring clarity and increased levels of commitment from your team if they know you care about them.
So what about you? How are you at leading your team to be a hard-working and committed team? Where are you on the commitment continuum to the overall vision of the team? Where are your team members? When you look at the description of committed and compelled, do they describe you? Your team members? If not what needs to change? Only through commitment to growth do we become the leaders we have the potential to be.
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