Commitment versus Compliance
My response:
Helpful?!What are your thoughts on this?I think an important distinction needs to be added to this thread -- "Commitment" versus "Compliance".
You already know that in a crisis management situation (your blog indicates you're a crisis management "tiger") success has very *little* to do with a follower "agreeing to do something" (commitment) -- but EVERYTHING to do him/her actually "fulfilling official requirements" (compliance).
I, therefore, submit that if a leader successfully resolves enough crises (through others' complying with their specific, meaningful, and appropriate, "official", requests), followers will almost *automatically* become increasingly loyal and committed to that leader. (Which really just means that these followers will more-readily comply with what the leader requests from them, next time.)
Non-crisis situations, if such things still exist (!!), work in much the same way -- success flows *less* from people being "committed" to achieving certain ends than from them intentionally "complying" with what, needs to be achieved. Again, if a leader successfully enables enough of those needed outcomes to occur, followers will routinely start exhibiting more loyalty and commitment to that leader (by complying that much more readily to their requests, moving forward).
Just for laughs, let's put it even more provocatively -- I assert that compliance (and all the good, value-added, stuff that employees can, and do, bring to an assignment) does not result *from* commitment; rather, commitment is a byproduct *of* compliance … after that compliance results in the successful completion of intended outcomes, of course.
Following this view, leaders do not need to seek the "commitment" of others -- they just need to get crystal clear on the business imperative of their assignments, what probably needs to be accomplished, and who probably needs to accomplish it, in order to increase the probability of actually achieving those ends … because if they
*can* increase the probability of achieving those ends, followers will naturally, readily, and increasingly -- and self-servingly, I might add -- commit to those leaders in the future, without additional inducement.
Labels: Change Management, Fear/Courageousness, Leadership Development, mentoring, Motivation, Success at Work
posted by Barry Zweibel at 7:50 AM
4 Comments:
It's the willingness to do yourself what you've asked others to do. It's that unspoken respect. It's the ability to take no credit for a job well done and all the blame when it goes wrong. It's these and the many more intangibles that win commitment of a leader.
great insight, Sharon. thanks for sharing.
It all ammounts to leading by example. I have to disagree with you about compliance being a by-product of commitment.
Look around you and you will find people who deliver without putting their heart into their jobs. This is fine if the end justifies the means, however the quality of work if not the quantum of work is bound to suffer in the long run.
Hi Sanjeev – Thanks for joining in.
Sure, there are plenty who comply without being committed. More likely than not, their bosses aren't all that good, though.
My point is that if you ARE a good leader, one who "successfully enables enough of those needed outcomes to occur", direct reports will naturally WANT to follow you (commitment) because they see a personal value in complying with your requests ... the direct report gets greater visibility, higher profile, a stronger reputation, increased organizational influence, more respect, etc.
Success has coattails.
“Leading by example” can get a boss part of the way. But, for the success–conscious employee, that’s not enough. What REALLY makes a leader “follow-able” is him/her having a reputation of being able to successfully, and consistently, deliver ... success. That’s because following (complying with) a boss like that more likely than not results in your OWN success. The compliance is what gets it started. Will commitment likely kick in if it’s all done well? Sure. Of course.
And that’s exactly why I say that commitment a byproduct of compliance!
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