Commitment refers to being dedicated to a certain organization, action, or belief and determination to participate or get involved. Besides, it can be defined as a person’s sense of responsibility towards an organization’s goals, objectives, vision, and mission ( Creative Commons Attribution, 2021 ). A person is committed to a course or organization that he/she believes is essential, shows up for it, monitors, and sticks to it at all times. The more a person is committed to an organization, the more he/she is motivated to work. Employee satisfaction is one of the main factors related to commitment in an organization. When an employee is committed, the outcome is more productivity, increased profits, low turnover rate, and general improvement in the workplace environment. Therefore, for an organization to be successful, complete commitment is an essential behavior that should be developed and cultivated in all employees at all levels.
Importance of Commitment
Commitment is considered the backbone of a team or organization because it provides strength. The more committed individuals are, the more they become effective and efficient in influencing and convincing other people ( Creative Commons Attribution, 2021 ). If an entire team conducts its activities with a lot of commitment, more people are most likely to pay more attention. Committed people do not see discouragement as a serious issue. They do not give up easily. As a result, they become an example or role model to others who lack the motivation to go through challenging moments and achieve success. Another importance of commitment is that it helps individuals to collaborate at higher levels. It promotes trusting relationships and a caring attitude towards one another. This is crucial for a team or organization to keep moving in the long term. Besides, when individuals become committed to a course for a particular period, they can understand what they require to become and remain effective. Individuals need to have time to experiment with things, commit errors, and find ways to work.
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Personal Application of Commitment
I believe that commitment is essential for success in all areas of life, including work. Without it, one cannot achieve anything. According to Lombardi (2002), “I would say that the quality of each man’s life is the full measure of that man’s personal commitment to excellence and to victory-whether it is football, whether it be business, whether it be politics or government, or what have you.” I would say that I am a committed person. According to Lombardi (2002), a completely committed person has no concern for anything else apart from work at hand. Therefore, the person will not be idling, calling in sick, or moving around aimlessly. Besides, the person accepts to sacrifice, suffer, and work hard to achieve a particular goal. I am a person who focuses on what I am doing with all my mind, heart, and body. I give my all without being distracted by other things that might be happening or going on around me or in the world. When I decide to follow a certain course of action, I remain to it until the end. However, although I am completely committed, I am open and flexible in changing how I do things to achieve the goal I am committed to achieving. If I happen to find a more effective or better way of achieving my goal, I follow it because my ultimate focus is achieving the goal. At my place of work, I never call for sickness unless I am actually sick hence unable to complete my tasks or been advised by the doctor to rest for the sake of my health.
Although sometimes, it is challenging to remain committed when experiencing hardships or things did not turn out as expected, I did not give up easily. I try again and again until I make it or achieve what I want. The only thing that I change is strategies or viewpoints to identify the one that will finally produce the expected results. When I make decisions, I ensure that I stick to them regardless of the prevailing circumstances or hardships encountered. Commitment involves cutting away all other available options and sticking to the selected course ( Lombardi, 2002) . Although I consider myself a committed person, and I have come across several people who have told me that I have a strong commitment towards my work and studies, there are times I have lacked confidence in my decisions and abandoned a course of action that I had already started. However, with time, my ability to remain committed in all situations has developed gradually and continues to grow. Commitment is not something that happens all of a sudden ( Creative Commons Attribution, 2021 ). Rather, it is a behavior or virtue that develops over time.
As a leader, I can help others become committed or reduce their commitment. Commitment develops when individuals collaborate, feel that they are successful in whatever they are doing, are involved in the decision-making process, manage conflicts, and support the leadership of another person. Also, it develops when an individual’s ability to overcome an obstacle, hold one another to high esteem, demonstrate respect, learn from errors and setbacks, identify commitment in a leader, and achieve victory together ( Creative Commons Attribution, 2021 ). When they see my commitment towards achieving a particular goal, they are most likely to follow suit.
Although commitment develops naturally, a leader or a member of a certain group can promote commitment within an organization or a team ( Creative Commons Attribution, 2021 ). A leader can integrate commitment into an organization’s culture. Despite being an invisible quality, a person can develop commitment if he. She focuses attention on it. Commitment can reduce when people fail to communicate, do not develop relationships, and fail to support each other ( Creative Commons Attribution, 2021 ). Besides, when they become entangled in pending conflicts that are yet to be solved, do not implement their principles, and lack commitment to their leaders, people, lose commitment.
Personal Opinion on Commitment
I think commitment is all that we need to achieve our goals, become successful, and influence others to share our goals and visions. Lack of commitment indicates that a person lacks engagement. People who lack commitment are not engaged with their work hence cannot perform to their level best. People who are committed can remain true to their course even when everybody else has abandoned them. They keep going because they are motivated from the inside (intrinsic motivation). They keep pressing on until they reach their goals. Based on my observation and research, the most successful people in the world are committed to what they decide to do or pursue. Despite failing multiple times, they kept trying again and again until they made it. Since commitment is not something that occurs or develops once, organizational leaders need to be patient with employees as they develop commitment. It develops steadily but in most cases slowly. Therefore, it is crucial to wait for it to come patiently. Individuals need support as they develop commitment. They should be appreciated for every effort made towards commitment and the various commitment levels they are in.
Different people are at different levels of commitment. There are people who will spare more time, be interested in the leader’s or organization’s goals, and understand the importance of being committed than others ( Creative Commons Attribution, 2021 ). Also, inviting people to do more can help them develop commitment. If they agree, appreciate their efforts and sacrifice. If they decline, they still appreciate them for the ability they possess and what they are capable of doing. Moreover, making people feel that their contribution is valuable and appreciated no matter how small it might be is vital in developing commitment in other people. However, if they feel that their contribution or effort is not valuable or does not matter to the leader, they might decide not to participate in a task or remain around. Without something valuable that people will gain in the end, it is difficult to make them become committed. Therefore, as a leader or a team member, it is imperative to explain what valuable thing they will gain by being committed to an organization or a particular course. Without a culture of commitment, it is difficult for an organization to become successful.
Recommendations
As an individual, I must work on my commitment by becoming more confident in my decisions. Lack of confidence in some of the decisions made negatively affects the level of commitment. In such a situation, an individual is completely committed. Lack of confidence means that doubts exist. Leaders should strive to become committed if they want their organizations to become successful. Only committed leaders are able to influence their followers into achieving a common goal.
Conclusively, commitment is the level of enthusiasm that exists in a person towards completing the allocated work in an organization. Committed people agree to suffer and sacrifice a lot for the path they chose to follow or the task at hand. Commitment is an essential quality for leaders. A leader who is committed is able to influence his/her followers and achieve a particular goal. Committed employees are productive and are willing to go the extra mile to ensure that a shared goal or objective is achieved. Commitment is developed gradually hence the need to be patient with people as they become committed. Offering support through actions such as appreciation can help people become committed.
References
Creative Commons Attribution. (2021). Chapter 14. Core functions in leadership . Community Tool Box. https://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/leadership/leadership-functions
Lombardi, V. (2002). The Lombardi rules: 26 lessons from Vince lombardi--the world’s greatest coach . McGraw Hill Professional.
