“Peak performers are different,” we are told. “They actually do what they say they are going to do. They are ‘committed to the commitment’.” What does this mean – and how does it work in practice? You have probably attended meetings where people end by making their action plans. Looking around the room, you will know: a) Who will deliver; b) Who may deliver; c) Who probably won’t deliver. You will know who can be relied on – and who you wouldn’t like to ‘pack your parachute’. The best place to begin is by acting as a positive model, of course, so let’s explore how you can fulfil your promises.

1) You can clarify your goal, consider the consequences and commit to the commitment.

Peak performers focus on their values, translate these into a clear vision and deliver visible results. They do, however, choose to be selective to be effective. Why? People realise there are only a few things they can do brilliantly. So they take three steps to forming their commitment. a) They clarify their picture of success; b) They clarify the key strategies they can follow to give themselves the greatest chance of success – and the pluses and minuses involved; c) They commit to pursuing these strategies to achieve the picture of success. People take this last step in full consciousness, however, with a clear understanding of the implications. They are then fully committed to the commitment.

People go through this process as individuals when aiming to achieve a specific goal. They may aim to follow a healthy diet, compete in a Triathalon, embark on a course of treatment, radically change their lifestyle or whatever. Great teams go through a similar process when aiming to achieve success. They are often brilliant niche providers who deliver exceptional work in their chosen field. They pursue the right strategy with the right people in the right way. During the past year I have worked with several teams that have taken this path. They include The Search Works, Digital-Outlook and an Age Concern project on Dementia. Such teams understand this policy has consequences: but so does trying to be many things to many customers. Organisations that are serious about ‘living their values’ adopt a similar approach. They focus on a few values – probably four at most – and explore the consequences of living these properly. Bearing in mind the implications, they clarify how to build on the pluses and manage the minuses. They then commit to the commitment.

Looking back at your own life and work, can you think of a time when you went through some of these steps to commit to achieving a goal? What did you do right then? How can your follow these principles in the future? Bearing these in mind, try tackling the exercise on this theme. First, describe a specific goal you want to achieve in your personal or professional life. Second, describe the key strategies you can follow to give yourself the greatest chance of success. Third, describe the pluses and minuses involved in working to achieve the goal. Complete these steps then, on a scale 0 – 10, rate your commitment to doing your best to reach the goal.

The specific goal I want to achieve is:

*

The key strategies I can follow to give
myself the greatest chance of success are:

*

*

*

The pluses involved in reaching the goal will be:

*

The potential minuses
involved in reaching the goal will be:

*

My commitment. The degree to which I am committed
to doing my best to reach the goal is: _____ / 10

2) You can pursue the commitment by developing daily disciplines and delivering concrete results.

It’s now time to translate words into actions. So you will probably follow certain daily disciplines to reach your goal. This will build up your physical and psychological ‘muscle memory’ – specific habits you follow without thinking. ‘Muscle memory’ is a term used to describe how the body remembers physical movements – such as walking, dancing, cycling or whatever. After awhile you do these things automatically. People also have a ‘psychological muscle memory’. They adopt certain attitudes that become their starting point when faced by challenges. Resilient people often give a stock answer when asked how they coped with adversity. It goes along the lines of: “There wasn’t any choice. I just had to get on and do it.” Certainly they had a choice, they could have succumbed. Such people believe in doing their best, however, so making this positive choice had become second nature. You will have your own method for developing your physical and psychological muscle memory. These daily disciplines will then be translated into concrete results.

Imagine you want to improve your well-being. You will probably choose to get enough sleep; eat a healthy, sustainable diet; walk at least 5,000 steps a day; do fulfilling work; make good use of your ‘prime times’ – the times when you have most energy; give yourself ‘time-outs’ to reflect and make good decisions during the day and spend time with positive people. If you begin from a position of feeling ‘run down’, you may start by doing 2 or 3 of these things and get concrete results. Seeing the benefits, you will develop more habits that take you nearer to achieving your long term goal.

Try tackling the exercise on this theme. Looking at your specific goal, describe the daily habits you can follow to pursue your commitment. Try completing the following sentence.

The specific things I can do to develop daily
disciplines on the road to achieving my goal are:

*

*

*

3) You can maintain your resilience, find creative solutions to challenges and do whatever if required to fulfil your commitment.

Great sports teams recruit people who are resilient. When the chips are down, they want people who will fight and flow, rather than flee. Such athletes frequently overcome adversity to win trophies. Great work teams also recruit people who demonstrate resilience. They look for people: a) Who have positive characters – perhaps having a history of overcoming difficulties – and deliver on their promises; b) Who are prepared to sweat and do superb work; c) Who can find creative solutions to challenges. Character is vital, because it provides the foundation. Some of the other skills, such as problem-solving, can be developed. Resilient people make clear contracts. Their key contract is with themselves - such as always doing their best. They then make clear contracts with other people and deliver the goods. You will develop your own repertoire for doing what is required to fulfil your contracts.

Try tackling the exercise on this theme. Describe the specific things you can do to maintain your resilience, find solutions to challenges and reach your goal. Try completing the following sentence.

The specific things I can do to do
whatever is required to reach the goal are:

*

*

*

Some people you would trust with your life. You know that, whatever happens, they will fulfil their promises and perform the equivalent of ‘packing your parachute’. Why? You have seen them deliver time after time. Such people are ‘committed to the commitment’.

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