The Nature of Commitment

The Nature of Commitment

What does it actually mean to commit? The answer is less obvious than it seems.

Commitment as Promise

At its core, a commitment is a promise about the future. You're saying: "I will make something happen."

But promises come in different forms:

Unconditional promises: "I will deliver X by date Y, no matter what."

Conditional promises: "I will deliver X by date Y, if conditions A, B, C hold."

Effort promises: "I will do my best to deliver X by date Y."

Process promises: "I will follow this process and let you know what we discover."

Most of the frustration around commitments comes from ambiguity about which type of promise is being made.

The Commitment Hierarchy

When you make a commitment, you're actually making multiple nested promises:

1. Outcome commitment: "This result will happen"

2. Effort commitment: "I will work toward this result"

3. Communication commitment: "I will keep you informed of progress and problems"

4. Integrity commitment: "I will be honest about what I can and can't control"

You can always keep 3 and 4, even when 1 and 2 are in jeopardy.

What Commitment Requires

Genuine commitment requires:

- Understanding: You know what you're committing to

- Capacity: You have or can acquire the resources needed

- Authority: You have or can obtain the ability to execute

- Intention: You actually intend to deliver

Without these, "commitment" is just words.

Why We Over-Commit

We over-commit for predictable reasons:

- Pressure to appear capable

- Discomfort with disappointing others

- Optimism about our own capacity

- Lack of visibility into actual workload

- Hope that things will work out

These are understandable human tendencies. But they lead to unreliable commitments.

Making Commitments You Can Keep

To make commitments you can keep:

1. Clarify scope: What exactly am I committing to?

2. Assess capacity: Do I have what this requires?

3. Identify dependencies: What could prevent me from delivering?

4. Name conditions: What assumptions is this commitment based on?

5. Define checkpoints: When will I know if I'm on track?

This takes more time than a quick "yes." It leads to fewer broken promises.