Commitment Over Compliance

How to overcome Involuntary and Over Commitment

Actual footage of a young Ginger THood cleaning his room…

Every company wants to GSD (Get Stuff Done.) It’s why they exist. To delight customers in ways that work for their business.

So what do they do? They add pressure. Deadlines. Dashboards. Top-down goals. Manage people. Because most leaders still believe:

“Pressure creates urgency. Urgency gets results.”

But here’s the truth: Pressure doesn’t create commitment, it creates compliance. And compliance is the bare minimum. It gets motion, not momentum. Activity, not ownership. If you want even a modicum more than the bare minimum, let alone your team’s best - not just their obedience - you need more than pressure.
You need invitation.

🔑 Commitment: More Than Just a Clean Room

Webster’s defines commitment as:

“A voluntary agreement to do something in the future.”

That word voluntary matters.

Let me take you back. When I was a kid, my parents would say:

“I want this room cleaned by the time I get home.”

✅ Scope: Clean the room
🕒 Timeline: Before they walked through the door

I didn’t agree to this. I didn’t negotiate terms. I was voluntold. And when the clock struck “Mom’s home,” and the room wasn’t clean, I did what any clever kid would do: I rattled off excuses.

• “My brother distracted me.”

• “I was just about to start!”

• “You didn’t say how clean…”

I’m not arguing against being told to do something. Not at all. But, here’s the truth: when we’re forced into something, we don’t commit. When coerced we comply. And compliance never gets you people’s best. It gets obedience. Not ownership. It gets silence. Not ideas. It gets action. But rarely impact. “Tristan, who cares? If it gets done, whatever it takes is whatever it takes. Here’s the problem - when things don’t work out, and they often will not in these scenarios, you get excuses.

So how can you get people to step up and own things even when they just gotta get it done?

How to Invite Commitment

Even when the work isn't optional, commitment still can be. Here’s how we create that space:

1. 🎯 Share the Why

People don’t commit to tasks. They commit to purpose. If you want buy-in, don’t just give orders - give reasons. And when possible, invite questions. Dialogue builds trust.

2. 🥅 Clarify the Goal

Fuzzy goals create fuzzy outcomes. If you’re not clear, say so. Then work together to clarify it. Commitment thrives when people can see the target.

3. 📏 Set Expectations

What’s obvious to you isn’t always obvious to others. Don’t assume clarity — design for it. “To be clear is to be kind.”

4. 🤝 Invite Negotiation

The best teams aren’t filled with yes-people. They’re filled with contributors. Ask, “How would you approach this?” Trust grows when voices are heard.

Landing the Plane

Look, I get it. There’s work to be done. Goals to hit. Customers to delight.

But pressure alone? I wrote about due dates as a lazy way to create pressure, and I still believe that. These kinds of tactics only gets you bodies in motion.

If you want more than just checked boxes—if you want teams who care, think, adapt, and own it—you need to shift from pushing people…to inviting them.

Commitment isn’t a demand. It’s a decision.

And the best teams? They don’t just say “yes.” They accept the invitation to commit, and then go all in.

Until next time,
Keep Learning. Keep Growing.