The Chicken is Involved; the Pig is Committed

The old story goes - a chicken and a pig had a desire to open a restaurant. As they sat around planning, the subject of the menu came up. The chicken suggested ham and eggs. The pig replied, "No thanks. You'd be involved while I would be committed".

The moral of the story….some of your employees are merely involved while others are committed. What's the difference?

Well, involved is...essentially, participating. Those employees show up and will accomplish the bare minimum. Commitment, on the other hand, is the display of dedicated service. Those employees go above and beyond.

I know what you are thinking. Ok, why should I care about my employees being committed or involved? At a very basic level, lack of commitment can lead to other issues such as employee turnover and absenteeism -both of which increase your operating cost. Organizational issues like these can destroy organizational productivity and efficiency.

As you look across your organization, can you identify those employees that are involved and those that are committed? How do you improve the performance of those employees that are just “involved”?

1. Foster a climate of innovative thought. Your employees are the keepers of your processes. They naturally find ways to improve those processes. Be receptive to their ideas for improvement.

2. Understand the needs of your employees. Sometimes personal and professional paths collide. Your employee may need you to be flexible and show your support.

3. Encourage communication. Your employees should feel safe enough to air their grievances and provide you or a member of your team the opportunity to resolve them.

Building commitment within your team produces residual effects of trust and transparent dialogue. Increased commitment within your team won’t necessarily mean they won’t face challenges, but they will have the ability to deal with those challenges effectively and efficiently.

Investing in business consulting is a great way to diagnose organizational issues. Understanding your employees and being able to solicit their feedback is key in obtaining information regarding your organization’s climate.