Commitment noun 1. the act of committing. 2. the state of being committed. 3. the act of committing, pledging, or engaging oneself. 4. a pledge or promise; obligation: We have made a commitment to pay our bills on time. 5. engagement; involvement: They have a sincere commitment to religion.
“Unless commitment is made, there are only promises and hopes ... but no plans.” ~ Peter Drucker, management guru
“The quality of a person's life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavour.” ~ Vince Lombardi, US football coach
“Commitment unlocks the doors of imagination, allows vision, and gives us the "right stuff" to turn our dreams into reality.” ~James Womack, lean management expert
“An ounce of performance is worth pounds of promises.” ~ Mae West, actor
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How are you getting on with those new year’s resolutions?
January was manic at the gym I go to, with loads of new people in the classes. On one occasion I couldn’t get into the Sunday class with my favourite instructor. Boy, was I mad! But the numbers have already dropped off and we’re practically back to the regulars again. So the newbies’ commitment to get fitter is waning...
Like anything in life, what you get out of coaching depends on what you put in, so it needs commitment. A half hearted effort to do something won’t bring the results you want. Like anything you want to do, it won’t happen by itself. We all know that if we do what we always do, we get what we always got.
The point of coaching is to move forward, with new information. It’s like looking in the mirror with new lenses – you can see things more clearly than you did before and then can choose to take action. So you need to know WHAT you want to achieve from the coaching process and be motivated to achieve it; otherwise the commitment won’t be there.
Commitment in the coaching relationship involves:
• Investing time & energy to understand what you want, why it’s important to you and what stops you achieving it.
• Recognising the discomfort you may feel when challenged by your coach, who may be noticing patterns in your responses. Those patterns may also be present in other areas of your life.
• With encouragement and support, choosing the actions you want to take that might be on the edge of your comfort zone.
• Taking those actions, being accountable for them and noticing what the impact is.
Above all, it’s important to understand that the commitment you take when you begin working with a coach is a commitment to YOURSELF.
For an awesome example of commitment watch this.