Managing Commitments – The secret of success

Now that we are in the swing of the New Year, consider adding one more resolution – managing your commitments with a new level of attention.

We’re not talking about keeping promises. That is easy for over-achievers. We’re talking about taking the time to really understand what commitment management is and sticking to it. Rigorous commitment management means you know who will do what by when – and you have shared clarity of understanding between the one making the commitment and the one receiving the goods and services.

All any organization is, is a network of commitments - and the rigor of those commitments has a direct correlation to customer satisfaction, organizational effectiveness, and employee satisfaction.

Generally speaking, leaders lack effective commitment management. It isn't good enough to announce that we are all responsible for safety, or that someone should be sure to make enough copies. Furthermore, it isn’t a one-way communiqué, such as ‘the phone is ringing', or ‘Wednesday is trash day’, or sending an e-mail request for a meeting. These examples lack specificity of whom, what and when. And this approach is a recipe for poor service, re-do’s, and morale busters.

The basics of commitment management include:

• A clear request or offer that specifies what is to be done, by whom, and when, PLUS acceptance of that request or offer.
• Conditions of satisfaction. For example, if you request a board report to be completed by Friday at 4 pm, do you want it as a draft or final form? Do you want a hard copy or electronic?
• A declaration that the commitment was met with feedback about your level of satisfaction.

Give it a try. See if you get better results from this approach. It takes a little more time, but the payback far exceeds the investment of your time.