Horan-Kates: What does commitment mean to you?
At the Vail Alliance, we define commitment as a state of being emotionally or intellectually bound to a course of action or person. Commitment can be about persevering in something arduous or taking responsibility for your promises, regardless of the payback.
Commitment is a very powerful word. And the words that are used to define it are also strong — bound, persevere, arduous and responsibility. They imply staying with things. And there is not a lot of wiggle room in these words.
To some, a commitment is a promise that people can count on. To others, it’s either a loose expression of what they’d like to see happen or a statement that lacks real meaning. Too often, our commitments can be shallow, without real intent to follow through. We say “yes” quickly, and then it hits us what that might mean.
For me, a significant defining moment grew out of a negative, but because of my commitment, it has become an enormous positive even to this day. My parents divorced when I was 15 and it contributed to messy high school years. There was just a lot of angst around the house.
After college and a stint in Vietnam, I had a conversation with my mother where I promised her I would be married only once; I said, “You can count on it.” Ten years later, when I got married, I was reminded of that commitment. And after forty-nine years, I still operate from that promise. On the few occasions when I wondered if our relationship was meant to be, I reflected on that conversation with my mom, and said to myself, “You made a commitment, now go work it out.” It has made a huge difference.
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To understand further what your commitments mean, look at what it costs you to maintain your promises — what do you gain and what do you lose? If you keep your commitments, if you persevere, you reap trust.
On the other hand, if you can’t be counted on, eventually people will stop coming to you. Answer this question for yourself: “How many times do you have to break your promise before people lose trust in you? It may only take once, but after you let people down two or three times, you’re toast.
Your intentions might be good, but your actions tell the extent of your commitment. Ralph Waldo Emerson described a life perspective when he said, “What you do speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you say.” One might assume Emerson is directing his thought here to the person whose actions don’t line up with his words, and thus, he really isn’t heard. Imagine if that’s you.
In the organizational realm, commitments come in many forms, such as the promise to deliver a report by a specific date. At the most basic level, think of how you view being on time. Do you make an effort always to be there when you said you would, or doesn’t it matter that much? It may seem trivial, but working diligently to be on time may be indicative of how you hold other commitments.
Good leaders model commitment. They let their actions speak before they ask others to follow. Interestingly, taking this approach might actually make your words heard. And while your words are critical, what you actually do, or don’t do, is the real test. Think about it. One’s whole life could be built on this one simple thought. Do what you say you’ll do. Hold to your commitments. Persevere!
John Horan-Kates is the president of the Vail Alliance in Edwards and can be reached at 970-306-3276 or JohnHoranKates@gmail.com.
