This is an excerpt from Committed We Stand

Commitment by one party without commitment of the other party to the agreement will most likely result in failure. To succeed, commitment has to be reciprocal, and—here’s the most important part—it has to start on the company’s side! You read that right. Whether you’re looking for commitment from your customers or your employees, you have to start the ball rolling.

Once you’ve made your commitment to the employees or customers, you must ask them to make their own commitments to your company in return. Only reciprocal commitment will make the difference.

There are many ways to do this. With customers, loyalty programs are a great option. Lots of companies employ this process. It doesn’t seem like much; for example, when your local grocery store tells you that if you fill out a rewards card of some sort, you will get future discounts or bonuses. Lots of people (me included) are willing to do that. And what we’re really doing is letting that grocer keep track of our spending habits, so he or she can target us through coupons and e-mail ads for products we frequently buy.

In a company, employee loyalty begins with open lines of communication. For small to midsized companies, where decisions are sometimes—if not always—made only verbally, the most critical skills you can employ are the abilities to listen well and speak clearly.

Commitment has to be reciprocal, and it has to start on the company side. Employees won’t be able to make commitments first. After the company makes some commitments, it must require the employees to make a reciprocal commitment. A one-sided contract isn’t an agreement; it is a commandment. Both sides have to commit.

So, how would employees respond to a show of commitment from the employer? Check out Committed We Stand if you want to know more about workplace commitment and how to stop your best new talents from walking away.

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