In 2008 I quit my job to become a coach. I studied and got three certifications. I hired a master coach to work with me. I offered free sample coaching sessions to over 50 friends and colleagues. Someone told me, “You won’t really be a coach until you’ve run a $10/person seminar in a church basement.” So I went on Meetup.com, found a group that fit my audience and did my seminar for them in a church basement. Yup, for $10.
I made a commitment and I stuck with it.
Right now commitment feels like the antidote we need. We’ve been swimming in a sea of uncertainty for months, culminating in an election race where the tantalizing uncertainty is distracting us like a 3-ring circus. What I’m experiencing, and hearing from clients, is a hunger for a sense of control. As Stephen Covey famously taught, when we can’t control our sphere of concern, we can focus on our sphere of influence (see image).
Here’s the trick. Commitment can be a goal — like a revenue market share target for your team, or a promotion in your own career. But the more powerful version is commitment around WHO you want to be, as an individual and as a team. If job fluidity has made it harder to hold on to your best talent, what are you doing to make your team or organization more compelling? If you aren’t getting ahead in your job as fast as you’d like, what are you willing to learn so that you can better manage up?
It’s tempting to think that “Once coronavirus passes, things will be OK,” but so much is going to happen between now and then. What would be possible if you committed to how you are approaching things. And, what if that approach was closely aligned with who you are? In the end, the biggest commitment you can make is to commit to fully being yourself…and to embracing how powerful you can be.
Have a great week,
Claire
