Stepping Forward Together: Creating Trust and Commitment in the Workplace. Mac Ph.D. McIntire

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СКАЧАТЬ explains a complex process – the unconscious evolution people go through before they commit to a specific course of action. The Ladder shows what happens inside a person’s head, heart and intuitive senses before they will accept and enthusiastically embrace something,” I explained.

      “Once you understand the Ladder of Commitment, you can use it to accelerate the process of gaining the commitment of your employees. By knowing this you can propel people to the top of the Ladder quickly. You can get your employees to perform at a higher production level earlier in their employment. Most important, you can get people to do what you want them to do, the way you want them to do it, when you want it done.

      “You can also use this model in your personal life. Husbands and wives who understand the Ladder of Commitment can use it to build a stronger relationship early in their marriage. They can create an enduring partnership that truly does last forever. Parents who consciously climb the ladder in their relationships with their children can form strong family bonds of love and support and get everyone in the family to step forward together.”

       I went on to explain to Paul that before he could get a company of people to step forward together as a team, each employee must first step forward as a committed individual. Likewise, each partner in a marriage must be committed to the relationship individually before a collective bond of unity can be formed in the marriage. The process of obtaining one’s commitment begins as a solo climb up the Ladder. And it is, indeed, a climb up the Ladder, because most people don’t start out in their relationships – work or personal – at the top of the Ladder.

      I took my wedding ring off of my finger and held it in the air, showing it to Paul.

      “When a bride and groom stand at the altar, place wedding bands on each other’s fingers, and say the words ‘I do’, where do you think they think they are on the Ladder at that moment in time?” I asked, pointing to my drawing.

      “At COMMITMENT,” he rightly concluded, pointing to the top of the Ladder diagram.

      “That’s exactly right. They think they are making a commitment. In fact, they usually make vows to that effect, saying such things as: ‘until death do us part’, ‘in sickness and in health’, ‘in good times and in bad’. Yet 52 percent of all marriages in the United States end in divorce. That’s a pretty horrific statistic. That means every other person sitting here on this plane – if they are or have been married – are divorced, in the process of getting a divorce, or will be divorced in the future.”

      “Well, that’s encouraging,” Paul said, sarcastically.

      “Even if you’ve been married twenty-three years, like you have, does that mean your marriage is secure?” I asked.

      “I guess not.”

      “That’s because commitment has a short shelf life. It’s something that has to be continually reinforced and strengthened day after day,” I offered. “The commitment process starts on day one of a relationship and continues as long as the relationship lasts. Of course, you could change your partner and start all over again, but the odds get worse in second marriages. Seventy-five percent of second marriages end in divorce. Since the odds are against you with each subsequent marriage – or each subsequent new hire – it’s much better to get it right the first time.

      “So, if over 50 percent of marriages end in divorce, what does this wedding ring really mean?” I asked, again showing my wedding ring to him.

      “Apparently it doesn’t mean anything,” Paul replied.

      “That’s right. Placing a wedding ring on someone’s hand and making a vow of commitment apparently doesn’t mean the person is committed. Saying words of commitment doesn’t mean a person actually is committed. So I guess the wedding vows recited by one out of two marriages in this country actually mean: ‘I do for now’, ‘I do until something else comes up’, or ‘I do until someone better than you comes along.’”

      Paul chuckled.

      “Obviously there must be more to the commitment process in marriage than just proclaiming one’s commitment,” I suggested. “The same is true at work. Unfortunately, employers make the mistake of assuming employees are making a vow of commitment when they accept a job offer. That would be wonderful if it were true. But people don’t automatically commit to something – to a task, to an organization, to a team, to a manager, or anything else – even if it that thing is something they themselves chose.”

      “I accept that a lot of marriages end in divorce,” Paul countered. “But I’m not ready to buy the premise that newlyweds aren’t committed to each other on their wedding day. It seems more likely that they lose that commitment over the course of their relationship. I’d argue the same is true for employees. Why would anyone apply for a job and then not want to do it?” Paul asked.

      As he verbalized the question I could tell the gears were turning in his head. His push back was a way of confirming or denying my premise in his own mind, thereby firmly grounding his understanding. I did not respond.

      “I think that, at my plant, almost all my employees showed at least some initial enthusiasm for their work in the beginning,” Paul suggested. “But I’m shocked at how quickly that wanes. I just hired a supervisor who looked, sounded, and acted great during the interview. He seemed motivated and genuinely interested in the position. But once we hired him, that motivation just evaporated. I guess you just need to weed them out early.”

      “No!” I countered. “Don’t start weeding, start nurturing. You need to start building real commitment early in the relationship.”

      I explained that when couples make vows at the marriage altar or a job candidate accepts an employment offer, they’re not at the top of the Ladder at COMMITMENT. They’re at the bottom! They’re in the unstable, scary, I-hope-everything-works-out-okay stage. They hope it will be a good marriage or a good job. They hope everything will work out – ‘Please let her be a good wife’, ‘Please let this job be a good one’, ‘Please don’t let my boss (or husband) turn out to be a jerk.’ In the early stages of a relationship what people actually experience is hope; not commitment. It would be great if people started out on the first day of a marriage or new job at COMMITMENT. But most people don’t. When two people look into each other’s eyes across the marriage altar or the interview desk and say yes, it is only the beginning of the commitment process. It’s not real commitment or total commitment. Not yet.

      Prudent managers seize the opportunity at the early stages of a person’s job to consciously secure lasting commitment from an employee. Wise newlyweds turn their initial hope into long-lasting reality by moving up the Ladder as fast as they can. Sensible parents anchor the commitment of their children to family values and parental teaching while their children are young, knowing they have to start early if they want their influence to last.

      Paul nodded as he thought about this. “So how do you get people to the top of the Ladder?”

      “When I’m done explaining the entire model you’ll see how everything fits together,” I replied. “But, first, let me tell you how I would conduct an interview if I was hiring a person for a job. I want to test the job applicant’s commitment early on, during the interview. I want to know exactly where he stands. I don’t want someone taking a job and then finding out later he didn’t want to do the work. I also don’t want someone to take a job he doesn’t want, just to get his foot in the door. When I interview someone for a job I want him to be committed to that job. So this is how I would conduct the interview. . . .”

      I turned in my seat and faced Paul so I could model СКАЧАТЬ