Commit to Commit

Commitment can be terrifying. Broken promises are the surest way down the waterslide of low morale.

When someone comes to you with a problem, don’t react immediately. Commit to commit, then follow up quickly. Give a specific date when you’ll get back to them with a commitment. “Thanks for the context about the bug, I’ll get back to you tomorrow morning with a decision on how we’ll move forward”.

Keep the window short. Hearing “I’ll get back to you” without the follow up will quickly lose the trust your customers have in your team.

This doesn’t only apply when speaking with customers. Whenever you need time to understand and think about a decision–commit to commit–be it your manager, your peers, or your parents.

Move forward without hesitation

Commitment is important, because it creates clarity around direction and priorities for your team. Your team can be better aligned around common objectives, and it develops an ability to learn from mistakes.

When you commit to commit, your team has a chance to understand what your customer is saying, why they’re feeling that way, and where they’re coming from. You get the chance to come back with a solid answer that the whole team has bought into.

In my next post, I plan to write about what I’ve learned Patrick Lencioni’s book, “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team”. I’ll also share how my team applies it.

Thanks for reading! 😊

Written by Lauren Tan who lives and works in the Bay Area building useful things. You should follow her on Twitter