Posted on May 23, 2012

The Committed Leader

Photo by Liensal

Two small words that can change everything:

– A group of children stand facing the flag, with their hand over their heart, and begin the Pledge of Allegiance with the words “I pledge…”

– A bride and bridegroom, standing before family, friends, and their God, state “I do.”

– A young man is sitting at the bedside of his dying grandfather, and states “I promise.”

When you make a promise or a pledge, do you do whatever it takes to keep it? How far are you willing to go?

Commitments can define a leader. And leaders can define their commitments.

The Value of Commitment

As a differentiating value, Commitment means binding to a course of action; pledge, promise or firm agreement.

The key word here is ‘binding’. A committed leader sees all promises, pledges, and/or agreements they commit to as binding. It’s non-negotiable.

Interestingly, my very first blog post explored various ways we define commitment. As leaders, it is paramount we understand to what we are committing.

Unfortunately, many business leaders use a narrow view of this value, limiting it to a purely financial arrangement: borrower and lender. But there are a few leaders that understand the benefits of incorporating the broader aspects of this value, and embed commitment into the culture of their organization.

FedEx is a great example of a company founded on the value of commitment. They embraced the power of this value to create a distinctive business model and a differentiated brand, beautifully portrayed in their original slogan “when it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight.”

The challenge with maintaining one’s commitment is time. We tend to forget. We loose interest. The level of importance diminishes over time.

The reason it’s easier for a FedEx driver to maintain his or her commitment to deliver a package is because the mandate of time is easy to grasp. It’s overnight.

So how do we maintain our commitments over the long haul?

The Committed Leader

Most people focus on only one side of the commitment equation – what’s believed to be important to the other party. This leads to internal questions such as:

– What’s the minimum I must do to satisfy my commitment?

– How will they feel if I only do this much?

– What will be the consequences if I only deliver at this level?

Truly committed leaders focus on the other side of the equation – what’s inside themselves. They tend to ponder differently:

– What can I do to make the most of this opportunity?

– How can I leverage this to add value to others in new and surprising ways?

– How can I glorify God through this commitment?

Consider the famous Italian sculptor, Michelangelo. In the year 1505, Pope Julius II calls him to Rome, commissioning him to build the Pope’s tomb. But Michelangelo experiences many interruptions to his work. That project ends up taking him 40 years.

One of those interruptions was a request to paint the ceiling of a small chapel, with images of the 12 Apostles. Michelangelo is not viewed as a painter and doesn’t really enjoy it. But the Pope asks and he responds.

He commits to doing it. And he pours his whole heart, mind and soul into it.

After four years of painstaking work, we have the incredible, complex artwork of the Sistine Chapel. It includes over 300 figures highlighting nine episodes from the Book of Genesis, divided into three parts. Michelangelo went well beyond the original scope. He understood the true meaning of commitment – inside himself.

The result? This work set a new standard. Art historians maintain that Michelangelo’s masterpiece forever changed the course of painting in Europe.

Committed leaders create lasting change. And it all starts with two little words….