Do You Care Too Much?

“I wish I didn’t care so much.”  I had to catch my breath before I could respond to this comment. My first reaction was to pick my heart up off the floor. My client was suffering from a standard set too high for the comfort level of his peers. It was causing tension. While he didn’t want to lower his standards, he felt it was his only option. Yet how do you lower your standard and still feel whole? That’s what led to his next statement.

“I wish I didn’t care so much; it sure would be easier.”

So how does a leader balance the challenges of holding a high standard while a growing trend of complacency settles in all around? Here are five tips. (more…)

Commitment is a trade off. In the business world, the employee will only give the amount of commitment that they first get from their leader. A traditional trade off example is the almighty paycheck. In the past, many bosses have relied solely on the paycheck to gain commitment from their employees.

Relying on money to keep people committed is a common employer mishap. Yes, it’s true that an employee will stay at their job for money, but let’s be careful not to mistake staying as commitment to the leader or to the company. Their sticking around is most likely a commitment to something else, like providing for their family. The employee’s strong commitment to their responsibility of earning income is what makes the money exchange worth it. However, paychecks can be earned most anywhere. If a leader only has a paycheck commitment from their employees, they are at risk of losing them to bigger paychecks at other companies.

As leaders our goal should be to gain commitment at a deeper and much more fulfilling level for both us and our employees. Here are five actions to help you gain commitment beyond the paycheck: (more…)