What do we mean by commitment?
Watch the video of Lencioni discussing the importance of commitment within a team. Lencioni explains why we need conflict before gaining real commitment from the team.
Teams commit to decisions, values and systems when they emotionally buy into them and have clarity about what has been decided, or how things are done.
In the context of a cohesive team, commitment is:
- Clarity around decisions.
- Moving forward with complete buy-in from every member of the team, even those who initially disagreed with the decision.
"Commitment is about a group of intelligent people, driven individuals buying into a decision when they don't naturally agree. In other words, it's the ability to defy a lack of consensus." - Patrick Lencioni
It never ceases to amaze me how 2 reasonable people can hold opposing views, yet commit to an agreed decision because they have been heard and acknowledged. When we create the psychological safety to enable everyone to weigh into the discussion without fear, blame or shame, then people generally act in a reasonable manner. It's when we don't feel heard or acknowledged that we all continue the conflict after the decision. We see this play out in homes, when teenagers are given choices or voices, in companies when top down decisions are dumped on people, or during elections which result in civil unrest.
The bottom line is, if people don't feel heard or acknowledged, they won't commit or get on board. They will be rowing in the opposite direction. They may leave the meeting in agreement, but really they’re just half-heartedly going along with decisions. The two greatest causes of a lack of commitment are the desire for consensus (which leads to mediocracy) and the need for certainty, which are just not possible in all situations.
Great teams understand that they must be able to commit even when the outcome is uncertain and not everyone initially agrees.
In the next lessons you will learn how to gain buy-in and how to create clarity.
Reflection
Think of a time when you have been handed a decision that you were not involved in making.
How engaged and motivated were you to deliver?
What would have enabled you to be more committed?
How did you respond or behave as a result?
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