Lessons from Olympians: Achieving Remarkable Performance Through Commitment, Not Just Goals

Author: Audree Grubesic

Published: Aug 29, 2024

Read time: 4 min read

Core idea

Commitment goes beyond goals. It is tied to values, purpose, and vision.

The article uses Olympic athletes, including Simone Biles, as an example of the difference between goals and commitments.

Goals can live in the head. Commitments engage the head, heart, and soul.

Leadership practices for creating and achieving commitments

Be collaborative. Leaders should involve team members in developing commitments. The article cites a 2024 McKinsey blog post on including employees in business objectives and purpose.
Connect to culture. Commitments should align with company values, purpose, vision, and cultural activities.
Be creative. Commitments can cover metrics, learning, innovation, and projects.
Keep current. Commitments should be revisited and updated regularly, but not too often. Compassionate Leaders Circle reviews company-wide commitments three times a year.
Celebrate progress. Small wins matter. The article cites The Progress Principle: Using Small Wins to Ignite Joy, Engagement, and Creativity at Work by Teresa M. Amabile and Steven J. Kramer.

Example commitments

Area	Example commitment
Metrics	Close an average of $1,000,000 in monthly sales over the next six months.
Metrics	Reduce turnover from 50% per year to 25% by the end of 2026.
Learning	Review and streamline onboarding and training processes and present findings to the Chief People Officer within three months.
Learning	Attend two conferences this year to enhance executive skills and industry knowledge.
Innovation	Develop three new product offerings in the next three months to present to the CEO.
Innovation	Identify three ways to cut expenses without compromising quality within the next three months.
Projects	Analyze customer engagement data from the past three years and present a trend analysis within four weeks.
Projects	Plan a celebration for everyone in the department who was promoted this year, to take place this month.

The Donnellan Leadership Method

The article says commitment is the final principle in a 12-part leadership development series.

Review the model and choose one principle and practice that aligns with your strengths.
Create a commitment to develop that strength at work within the next 30 days.
Review the model and choose the principle and practice that is your biggest challenge.
Create a commitment to develop that challenge within the next 30 days.

Connect with Compassionate Leaders Circle

Vision: leading with love as the path to positive change, peace, and prosperity for all.

Laurel Donnellan is listed as Founder & CEO.

Meryl Eriksen is listed as Chief Compassion Officer.

Contact details shown in the post include Laurel@compassionateleaderscircle.com, a LinkedIn profile, Meryl@compaassionateleaderscircle.com, 315-217-1740, and compassionateleaderscircle.com.

Source note

The post says it was created from a post by Laurel Donnellan originally published at Forbes.com.