People do not follow uncommitted leaders.
Michelangelo, the renowned artist, loved to create sculpture. In fact, he completed his Pieta and David before the age of 30. Shortly after that, the Pope summoned him to Rome to sculpt a papal tomb, but when he arrived there he was asked instead to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Although trained to paint, his passion was sculpture. He wanted to refuse, however, the pope pressed him and he reluctantly accepted the assignment. For four gruelling years he lay on his back painting, permanently damaging his eyesight and ageing him way beyond his 37 years. Undoubtedly Michelangelo’s talent created the potential for greatness, but without commitment, his influence would have been minimal. That level of commitment could be seen in his attention to the finer details as well as the overarching vision; expanding the original brief to the masterpiece we see today.
What is commitment?
To each person it means something different.
True commitment inspires and attracts people. It shows them that you have conviction. They will believe in you only if you believe in your cause. As the law of buy-in states, people buy into the leader, then the vision.
- Commitment starts in the heart
Commitment always precedes achievement. If you want to make a difference in other people’s lives as a leader, look into your heart to see if you’re really committed.
- Commitment is tested by action
It’s one thing to talk about commitment, it’s another to do something about it. The only real measure for commitment is action.
How are you doing when it comes to following through on the things you say you are committed to?
- Commitment opens the door to achievement
As a leader you will face plenty of obstacles and opposition, and there will be times when your commitment is the only thing that carries you forward.
“Commitment is the enemy of resistance, for it is the serious promise to press on, to get up, no matter how many times you are knocked down.” David McNally
When it comes to commitment there are really only four types of people:
- Cop-outs – people with no goals and who do not commit.
- Holdouts – people who don’t know if they can reach their goals, so they are afraid to commit.
- Dropouts – people who start towards a goals but quit when the going get’s tough.
- All-outs – people who set goals, commit to them and pay the price to reach them.
Which one are you? Or perhaps you may notice you are a different one in various different aspects of your life.
To improve your commitment, do the following:
- Measure it – do your words and actions match?
- Know what’s worth dying for – meditate on the question ‘what am I willing to die for?’ See if your actions match your ideals.
- Use the ‘Edison Method’ – when Thomas Edison had a good idea for an invention, he’d call a press conference and announce it. Then he’d go into his lab and invent it. Make your plans public and you might be more committed to following through with them.
Now that you’ve read about this quality; what are you going to commit to? I’d love to be your partner in the fulfilment of that, so do ‘announce it’ to me and my tribe on my Facebook Page.
Part 3 of our Leadership Series: Leadership is an Inside Job, The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader
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