Generating commitment is possible for any leadership team willing to follow some simple rules. The first rule is the toughest: brutal honesty. We’re not talking about being brutally honest with others, but rather about being brutally honest with oneself. The top team must confront the need for commitment and the current lack thereof.
Managers don’t want to admit that they are leading a unit with less than total commitment, because emotionally laden words arise that threaten their self- image, issues such as loyalty, candor, trust, belief, values, and so forth. Yet only when leaders are willing to “own” the current state of affairs, and admit to themselves that they have caused the current levels of apathy, resistance, or resignation, can they begin to address and improve the situation.
– Book excerpt, pages 34, The Power of Strategic Commitment
