Commitment and Binding - The Catalysts

What is commitment? First, commitment is a noun. Next, the dictionary defines commitment as, “a willingness to give you time and energy to a job, activity, or something you believe in. The act of binding yourself (intellectually or emotionally) to something or a course of action.” I really like the inclusion of the phrase, “binding yourself.”  Binding is adjoining yourself to something or creating an obligation that cannot be broken or gone back on. Isn’t that ultimately what we are doing as leaders? We are binding ourselves to others, committing to them to serve them and hold them in higher regard than ourselves and to help them succeed and achieve their goals. Commitment means as a leader, you are giving everything, not holding back and not playing it safe and never going back to what you came from or back on what you have bound yourself to.

This very thing was demonstrated in 1519 when Hernan Cortes led the Spanish Conqueror’s on a conquest of Mexico. The journey, at sea the entire time, was brutal. Cortes knew the men were weary and fatigued, yet he knew they had to conquer Mexico and the only way that could be accomplished was with full commitment by every member of the expedition. Cortes had to create and then bring that commitment out in his men, so how did he do this? He ordered all their ships to be burned as soon as they made land.

Cortes committed and bound himself to (1) his team, (2) to their cause or goal, and (3) to them succeeding. He knew success would only come by way of everyone being fully committed to the same things and by them having no opportunity to turn back or go back to what they came from. If the conqueror’s had been able to see the ships and realize they had a path of escape, the temptation would be great to do so if they faced a tough situation. Once the ships were burned and destroyed, they had no choice but to be completely committed and bound to each other, their cause, and their success.

As leaders, we must display that same level of commitment and binding of ourselves to the things Cortes did, at the same level he did. We must first and foremost be committed and bound to those we lead. Then, be committed and bound to the shared cause or goal and lastly, committed and bound to the success of the team. It does not matter if you are the man or woman in the arena, the head coach, CEO, or captain of the team. If you do not have commitment to those things above and if you have not bound yourself to those you are leading, then you and those you lead have no chance of success in achieving your goal.

The cause (others) and the commitment and binding to the cause (others) is what is important as a leader. We cannot “tap out” or declare loving, serving, and inspiring others is/was an unwise decision and walk away from it or go back to where we came from. We must burn our ships to ensure we prevent any hint of that kind of thinking. You do not have to be “perfect” in order to be an effective leader. Be committed to others, bind yourself to others and take a risk, leave your safety net. Burn your ships and:

Love (others) selflessly

Serve (others) endlessly

Inspire (others) to do the same

By doing this, you will produce the level of commitment that is necessary for others and teams you lead to succeed. You will create an environment where team members are free to bind themselves to others and the result and level of achievement and success will be far beyond that which you imagined possible. Commitment and Binding are the catalysts and burning your ships is the means in which success is achieved. Strike a match and burn your ships leader.