Commitment

# Chapter 178

Commitment weakened culture? Oh yes. Or are we just measuring commitment wrongly? Or are we measuring the wrong thing entirely?

I had a breakfast with a local pastor yesterday and all the lament was about the lack of commitment. He couldn’t get anyone to agree to fill the leadership roles within the church, and without those positions being filled, his structure doesn’t work. So if the commitment being measured within the local congregation is the willingness to take on more responsibility and hard work and hanging an official title around your neck, then clearly commitment is lacking. If we make this the definition of our dedication to a cause or organization then we are in big trouble. People are clearly not interested in expressing their commitment, dedication or enthusiasm in these ways.

But what if we changed the measuring stick we are using to measure commitment? What if we measured engagement as the marker of commitment rather than willingness to take on predefined roles of responsibility? What if we measured commitment by the depth and frequency of hang out together times outside of the regular workday or church-day? What if we measured how often and to what extent they helped others achieve their goals? What if we measured the quality and quantity of their investments in the lives of the other people in our organization, as the measurement of commitment? Essentially what if we measured their character, rather than their enthusiasm for a pre-defined job that doesn’t interest them or fit their skills? There are just so many other ways to decide if people are committed or not.