11/23 2011

Posted in:  Coaching, Leadership

I think many of us grew up being told by our parents, “Because I said so, that’s why!” That may have been fine for our parents, but as leaders in today’s world, all that statement gets us is a compliant workforce; it does not get us commitment.  I’m going to be writing a few posts on this topic of compliance and commitment to help with understanding why this is important, what it will do for your company and what behaviors leaders need to demonstrate in order to create a truly committed workforce. 

What is the difference between compliance and committment?  It is really the difference between being extrinsically motivated and intrinsically motivated.  Compliant is doing something because you know there will be extrinsic consequences if you don’t do it.  For example: Employees who come to work on time because they do not want to get fired or employees who wear the appropriate safety equipment because they do not want to receive time off without pay, or employees who upsell other products because they want more commission are extrinsically motivated.  They are behaving a certain way because they want something (or don’t want something) in return. 

Committed employees are ones who are intrinsically motivated.  An intrinsically motivated person does something because it is the right thing to do and are doing it for the value that it brings to themselves or others. I ask my customers if there is anything else they need, not because I am required to do so, but because I want to make sure that I am doing everything I can for them.  I come back from break on time, not because I am told to, but because I want to be fair to my co-workers and I care about doing what it is right. 

Why do you want committed employees rather than compliant ones?  Here are the top reasons why:

1. You do not have to worry about employees who are committed to your standards because they will follow the standards even when you are not there.  Compliant employees will follow your expectations when they know that you are watching. (So you need to be watching all the time!)
2. Committed employees produce consistent results because they always follow the standards.  Results from compliant employees are sporadic.  Their results are good when they follow the standards and the results may not be good when they do not follow the standards.
3. Compliant employees are bad for morale because when they do not follow the standards and you do not coach them, other employees think they are getting away with something and they may get angry or resentful.
4. Compliant employees are bad examples for the rest of your team.  You do not want a compliant employee telling another employee how to “buck the system” or “just get by”.  You want a committed employee training your other employees and showing them why these standards are the right standards to live by. 
5. Committed employees are LOW MAINTENANCE whereas compliant employees are HIGH MAINTENANCE.  Compliant employees suck the life out of leaders sometimes because you never know what you can count on and you are always wondering what they are doing.  These are the employees that keep you up at night and make your job as a leader stressful. 

Our job as leaders is to identify which of our employees are simply compliant (because I said so) and which employees are committed (because it is the right thing to do). Once we identify who is committed to certain standards we can help them to be change catalysts for the entire organization.  We all need teams of employees who are committed to our standards.  Commitment is good for the employee because they feel good about the job they are doing. Commitment is good for your customers because they are getting accurate and reliable service consistently. And commitment is good for you because it is easier to lead committed employees.   

So, now that we know the difference between compliant and committed, I’ll review what we as leaders can do differently to help create committed workforces.  Check back in a few days for the next post in this series! 

MOMENT OF REFLECTION
Are you committed or compliant to your company’s standards?  The first step in creating a committed workforce is being self-committed.  Which standards are you only compliant to?  What is it going to take to get you committed to those standards?

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