Commitment: Your SuperPower
Workplace Dedication
Commitment is one of the most underutilized superpowers managers have at their disposal. It means we dedicate ourselves to something. When was the last time you were wholly committed to something? Was it your favorite sports team? How about supporting someone you care about in pursuing their passion? Parents make huge sacrifices when their kids play on a sports team. They spend countless hours driving to practices, tournaments, and games. They do it because they are committed to their kid’s success and happiness.
As a manager, ask yourself; “How committed am I to my job?” I’m not talking about drinking the Kool-Aid kind of dedication. I am talking about the amount of thought you put into the question. We are very committed in the beginning. We get the job and think that the company is the greatest thing since sliced bread “Wow! I get health benefits and a 401K, not to mention Paid Time Off (PTO). I will do everything I can to support this company!” A month later, we’re knee-deep in the details and often forget about supporting the company, we just want to get the work done. We still want to do a good job but the reality is that dedication is no longer the top priority. That’s when it’s time to consciously examine the different levels of commitment and how we can use them to energize ourselves and our teams.
Levels of Commitment
Different relationships require different levels of commitment and those levels require different amounts of energy. Your team requires a deeper level of obligation and support than your peers. Your job is to figure out who needs what, including your responsibility to yourself.
The Organization
Organizations have mission statements and visions. The minute we’re hired, we are asked to support them. The mission asks us to dedicate time and effort to helping the company fulfill its mission. If we don’t understand or can’t explain it, we’re probably not as committed as we’d like to think. That means it’s time to go back and review to understand. Does the company mission align with your values and needs? If it does, great but if it doesn’t you need to find out why and what you can do about it.
Your Peers and Colleagues
Are the people you work with and report to all on the same page? Do their actions support the organization’s mission as you understand it? If not, think about how you can influence their commitment. One way is to simply make it a natural part of the conversation. It’s normal to ask how projects, resources, and other aspects of the business tie into the mission or vision. Not only will you get people thinking about it, but you’ll also display the critical thinking skills that demonstrate strong leadership
Your Team
If you manage a team, you must demonstrate your dedication to them. Become the servant leader and let them know you care about them as a group and also as individuals. Managers get work done through people. Without their effort, you won’t succeed and that means that makes them your number 2 priority. The more dedicated you are to them, the more dedicated they are to you and by extension to the organization. Take the time to mentor them and find out what goes on in their world. Work on improving your communication and coaching skills so that they know what you expect of them and how important they are to fulfilling the mission.
Yourself
Make your commitment to yourself the number one priority. Unleash your superpower by increasing your self-awareness. Take a hard look at why you think the way you do. How do your thoughts about yourself and others affect your actions, decisions, and how others see you? Looking inward is usually the beginning of change.
Think back to that first day when you vowed to support the company because of what it would do for you. Turn the question around and ask what you can do for it. Does it still hold true or have things changed? How does the company’s support for you affect your life outside of work? When we talk about work-life balance, we’re asking what we can do to keep our commitments to everyone and everything we do. The person we are when we begin our career is not who we are mid-career. As we mature, things change. We promote up, we start families, and we begin to think more about giving than taking. These changes require us to take a hard look at what motivates and inspires us because as our lives change so do our commitments.