Five Ways to Commitment-Based Leadership toward Execution Excellence

Managers use various tools to take note and outline their strategies and plans. However, without a smooth execution, all those strategies and plans would mean nothing. The true essence of management, after all, is the ability to turn potentials into deliverables. And it would require a strong commitment from the management and all stakeholders. In an organization, individuals who work together are likely to have committed themselves to complete tasks. Managers make a commitment to their superiors, subordinates, shareholders, and stakeholders.

Employees make a commitment to the management team, colleagues, and customers. If you draw a line for every single commitment that occurs in an organization, you would see a weave of networks.

Now let’s imagine that an organization is a piece of fabric and every commitment is a strand of thread. The leader is a weaver who must ensure that the networks of thread are arranged in harmony. When an organization has achieved this level of harmony, you can expect to see high-quality activities and deliverables.

Naturally, the best output of commitment-based management is excellence in execution. And it translates to excellent error-free deliverables. However, every leader must face challenges, as often they must improve the execution process. Poorly executed strategy, improper organizational tactics, underperforming employees, and low productivity must be properly amended. Now, what are the characteristics of commitment-based leadership and how can you achieve them? Commitment-based management (CbM) was initially developed by Fernando Flores of University of California at Berkeley and Terry Winograd of Stanford University. This management style relies on agreements of commitment among parties to deliver an output within the agreed timeframe. When it’s executed efficiently, it will increase the quality of business performance.

In a nutshell, commitment-based leadership is a leadership style that works by commitment-based management, where an organization is driven by the quality and fulfillment of explicit network of commitments made between people in the organization and their customers. And there are five ways that a commitment-based leader can improve the execution process.

First, communicate positively and publicly. Excellent communication is key in a commitment-based leadership, so be clear when stating details about a project, including the due date and specific details of the deliverable.

Second, communicate and negotiate clearly. Write things down and always ask for details. Err on having too many details than not having at all.

Third, facilitate project management actively. A strong commitment-style leader is also a good project manager who communicates, facilitates, and monitors the execution steps from start to finish.

Fourth, deliver outputs explicitly. Results must be clearly compared to the agreed standards and details. Any positive or negative results must be clearly communicated to those who are responsible and accountable. Good recordkeeping is a must.

Fifth, take note of delivery details. The final delivery date is an important date. Once the stakeholder involved in the delivery has committed on the date, an explicit agreement is necessary to take them accountable.

In conclusion, every organization comprises of networks of promises and committed individuals. How well those networks work depends on the ability in turning commitment to final deliverables. For this, the role of a leader is key to execution excellence.