Remarkable performance doesn’t happen by accident. Whether delivered individually or organizationally, it is always preceded by commitment. Think about the connection between commitment and performance this way:
•Commitment is the price you are willing to pay to get remarkable results.
•Performance reveals the price you have paid.
Consider:
•A remarkable performance reveals how highly you value (price) your customer, spouse, child, boss, co-worker, or other goal (athletics, music, academics, and so on).
•A poor performance reveals how little you value (price) those same people or goals.
When we deliver a remarkable performance we are saying, “There is no other place or way I would rather spent my “commitment dollars” than on you. But when we deliver a poor performance we are saying, “My “commitment dollars” would be better spent somewhere else.
Which do you want to communicate when it comes to your most important relationships and goals?
Commitment is not a binary (either/or, on/off, yes/no) experience. You and I make choices every day that reveal different levels of commitment. For instance, I enjoy the occasional good movie but I have no intention of being a movie reviewer so I am not committed to viewing every movie that comes out. That would be a poor investment of my “commitment dollars.”
You are making the same choices daily. Our challenge is to make smart, conscious investments of commitment; to pay the right price at the right time and place. When a remarkable performance is called for, we need to be ready to write a check and pay the price.
LEVEL EVIDENCE
1. Interested – Aware of the basics and adding to that knowledge on a casual basis.
•Non-remarkable: the equivalent of flipping through magazines or listening to CNN Headline News while working out at the gym.
2. Informed – Knowledgeable as a result of persistent, intentional study.
•Potential for remarkable: subscribing to magazines, buying books, taking classes, attending to seminar with the intention of
3. Involved – Knowledgeable as a result of both study and activity
•Evidence of desire for remarkable: taking what they are learning and applying it to life; beginning to make positive changes in light of recognized benefits.
4. Immersed – Recognized as an expert or specialist
•Gateway to remarkable performance: rising above the pack, standing out in the crowd; expert/specialist status creates desirability and indispensability.
5. Invested – Recognized as “a” leader in the field
•Consistently remarkable performance: investing time, talent, and treasure in improving; clearly committed to education, improvement, and continually seeking higher standards of performance.
6. Innovative – Recognized as “the” leader in the field
•Defines remarkable performance: doesn’t seek new standards as much as set new standards of excellence and remarkable performance. Discovers new, innovative ways to increase his/her own value by meeting the needs of others.
