"Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any one thing."
Abraham Lincoln

The Case for Commitment

One of the critical characteristics to anyone’s success is his or her commitment level. Commitment is defined as an obligation or pledge given in trust. Unfortunately, our society and world today seeks self-gratification; thus discomfort of any kind is a reason for breaking commitments.

In most TV shows, note how many commitments can be broken in just one hour—from personal relationships, to business deals, to parents disappointing their children. Ultimately, the person who breaks the commitment pays the price with his or her reputation and credibility, both internally and externally.

The challenge of commitment levels applies to all of us. As I write this article, the process is being driven by my personal commitment to get it out on time. Normally, I really enjoy the creative writing experience, but I have just finished presenting for several 12 hour days. In addition, I have many other obligations and I’m feeling a bit tired. So what? I have a commitment to this article and its readers and my credibility is based on keeping it. I choose to follow through.

At this moment, recall a person or a business that did not keep a significant commitment to you. How did that make you feel? Did that experience generate feelings of loyalty, helpfulness, support, or praise? Certainly not!

Keeping commitments is also important in your personal life. Have you ever made a commitment to lose weight, stop smoking, start a business, or begin an exercise regime, then waned on your promise to yourself? When you break your commitments to yourself, it’s like a slow leak in a tire. Eventually the tire will go flat.

Commitment really does matter. In the book, Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap . . . and Others Don’t, Jim Collins conducted five years of research on the most successful companies in America. What—without exception—was a core character trait of each business? Commitment, of course—but not any garden-variety level of commitment. Those top companies move forward with a “we will continue UNTIL!” attitude. In the most successful companies, quitting is not an option.

Mankind’s most significant achievements reflect an unprecedented level of commitment, from the famous—Edison’s 10,000 attempts to create the light bulb, Mandela’s lifetime of imprisonment before freedom came to the people of South Africa, and Walt Disney’s three bankruptcies prior to creating Mickey Mouse—to the unsung heroes . . . a country doctor who saves his patient’s life during a difficult operation or a commercial pilot who lands his plane safely in rough weather. The list goes on.

What level of commitment are you applying to your life—the TV version of bailing when you find yourself slightly uncomfortable or the Good to Great concept of being committed UNTIL?

Action Steps

1. Remember that commitment is a discipline and a choice. Don’t blame circumstances for your commitment levels.
2. Rate your commitment level for each of the essential areas of your life—family, social, business, financial, spiritual, and physical. Use a scale of 1 to 10—10 being very committed. How would others rate you in each category on that same scale?
3. Commitment levels can be situational, meaning you can have high levels of commitment in some areas and lower levels in others. Record why you sometimes don’t follow through.
4. Commitment doesn’t mean you should be blindly unchanging. Unhealthy, negative situations call for common sense. Don’t stay committed to a choice that is life-threatening and destructive over the long term.
5. Envision how much better or different your life might be if your commitment levels were higher than they are today. Most individuals keep a commitment because of the results it will produce. To stay motivated and to follow through on your word, focus on the positive outcome.
6. If commitment has been a challenge for you, what has “going back on your word” cost you?
7. When you fail to keep your commitments, don’t beat yourself up. There is no benefit in that. Instead, determine why and how you will keep your commitments in the future.
8. Choose someone you trust as an accountability and support partner. When elite athletes struggle with commitment, the coach is there to assist them.

Until next time keep "Living on Purpose,"

Retention: The act of retaining; the state of being retained; power of retaining

Everyone wants to hire the right person the first time. The reality is, we will never achieve this goal with each individual we hire.

That doesn´t mean we can´t be proactive and intentional in our strategies to increase our level of success in attracting, hiring, and retaining talent. Individuals will come and go, despite our best efforts. Once we accept that fact, we can move on and do the best we can.

Job-satisfaction research shows that close to 80% of people dislike what they do for a living, from a feeling of mild irritation to absolutely loathing their work. In fact, research out of Canada last year identified that

• over 50% of employees are not engaged at work at all, and
• over 30% HATE their work.

Not great numbers for retaining our employees.

• According to a recent US Human Resources Management Association study, 82% of managers and 78% of employees are currently looking for another job opportunity.
• A UK study discovered that 33% of new employees are looking for a job the very day they start a new position. That certainly does not bode well for our career development practices.

So, how do you attract, hire, and retain good people?

• Your firm must have a solid reputation in the marketplace that it is an excellent place to work.
• The work environment and the culture your organization offer are two of the essential ingredients for creating a positive reputation that will attract employees. The most talented individuals usually have other job choices. Your work environment sets the tone for their decision to join or not.

Great marketing does not improve a poor product. You can advertise, attend job fairs, and implement PR campaigns but to attract and keep good people, there is no substitute for a supportive work environment.

Obviously, that can´t be accomplished overnight. It is achieved when Transforming Leadership is activated within your organization. Having competent, supportive leaders who equip others to win is a first step to attracting, hiring, and retaining talent in your organization.

1. You must be clear about the qualities, characteristics, values, skills, and experience you desire in the people who work for your company. Document your needs and wishes for each of those areas. If your intent is not in writing, it does not exist.
2. Confirm the job style best suited to each work position. If the personal style of the individual does not match the job style of the position, there is little chance the person will be able to sustain an acceptable level of performance or stay engaged in the role. In fact, our experience with over 1 million people is that any hiring process that does not include the critical element of matching those two styles will lower the potential for success.
3. Most successful hiring systems include assessments. They provide credibility and consistency to your process and confirm that the role fits the applicant´s purpose, gifts, and talents. Contrary to what many recruiters believe, they don´t hire anyone! The applicant is the one who chooses to engage the opportunity in front of him or her.
4. As the person doing the hiring, you can exclude an individual from your team—and your ability to say No is critical to attracting the best talent.

That also applies to the applicant. Your interview process should encourage applicants to feel equally comfortable saying Yes or No to the job opportunity.

Some recruiters erroneously believe they are there to close the deal…to get applicants to say Yes to accepting a position.

• What if applicants say Yes because they were sold, not because they really fit the job? That misleading approach will contribute to poor performance and increased turnover.
• What if you are interviewing individuals who do not know their purpose, values, or gifts? It is your responsibility as a recruiter to assist applicants to get in touch with their purpose.

  That’s where assessments come in. They provide a methodology and process to help people confirm their values and purpose.

• Use predictive tests to exclude applicants.
• Use self-discovery assessments to include and hire.

When candidates connect with the important insights they learn from their assessments, they can clearly articulate whether or not they fit a job opportunity.

That´s why CRG assessments such as the Values Preference Indicator, Personal Style Indicator, Job Style Indicator, Self-Worth Inventory, Stress Indicator and Health Planner, My Source EXPERIENCE Journal, and Leadership Skills Inventory – Self are so popular and preferred over the alternatives. Those assessments help candidates answer questions about themselves and a proposed opportunity.

If you short-change your hiring process and don´t use assessments, you will pay the price through staff turnover.

The key to retaining talent is to be proactive. Know how each person is engaged and connected to his or her job roles and responsibilities.

Oddly, letting some individuals go can help you retain talent.

Why?

The presence of incompetent individuals can frustrate people who are doing their jobs well. Dedicated, capable individuals get perturbed when an organization permits incompetents to stay, such as a poor manager or someone who compromises the organization´s values.

Individuals change and grow. That might require shifting or expanding job responsibilities. But some talented individuals will quit because you promoted them to a level or area they don´t like. The assumption that everyone has the ambition to advance is incorrect. When people already like what they are doing, changing their job responsibilities could cause them to disengage and leave the company.

In spite of your best efforts, some people will desert your organization. Look at this as an excellent opportunity for hiring fresh blood—the chance to hire even more appropriate individuals!