COMMITment quests


Vince Lombardi once said, “Individual commitment to group effort-That is what makes a team work, a company work, and a civilization work.”
As I ruminate on this quote, I can’t help but admire the effective moral that this quote summarizes. Getting the best, many a time means giving the best. For me, ‘giving the best’ to whatever, whoever, whenever is a form of considerable commitment. When you demand commitment, an automatic implication is to also commit commitment. Brilliant feats have been achieved through extraordinary commitment, in the fields of sport, social service, research and so on. Nadia Comaneci’s feat of the first perfect 10 in gymnastics, the example set by Red Cross society, having delivered humanitarian aid to nearly 600 million people in the last one year and the discovery of the God particle seem to reinforce the fact that extraordinary commitment is possible.
But then, what are the issues confronting people who are not able to vouch commitment?  The answer lies in the ‘attitude’ of these people. It’s mostly the attitude of people which prevents them from offering commitment. In spite of lack of resources and infrastructure there are several ‘student wonders’ and achievers throughout the world. Meet Prema Jayakumar and Dhanraj Jayakumar, children of Jayakumar Perumal, an auto rickshaw driver from Mumbai. Both Prema and Dhnaraj cleared their CA exams in the first attempt.  Prema topped the CA exams for the year 2009.Read, (http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-01-23/mumbai/36504939_1_prema-final-exam-tough-exam) for a detailed story on the same. What is the noticeable element in this feat? Yes, “CoMmItMeNt” is the noticeable element. So it is, in several cases world-wide. The story of Jyothi Reddy, the CEO of Keys Software Services, who was once a farm labourer, is equally interesting and surprising. Read, (http://www.telegraphindia.com/1120325/jsp/7days/story_15292192.jsp#.UVvVdlG9vTo)   for the detailed story on the same. The beauty of commitment is in being ‘unconditional’. You don’t complain, you don’t curse, you don’t feel constrained and you don’t regret. You can get the best from yourself through ‘commitment’. Any external intervention from any quarter to get better performance cannot be as powerful as commitment, which is an internal mechanism and is sustainable. Commitment is extremely subjective, personal, intense and engaging. Challenges may seem like minor incidences and feats when commitment kicks in. Can you ensure commitment to a job/task? Yes and No, depending on the person-job connect and the intentions of the person. In spite of having ability, talent and resources, some people choose not to deliver. This is no coincidence; it’s just expressed intention of a ‘not too bothered’ attitude/outlook. Can you change your attitude/outlook? You can change your outlook, but then changing your attitude is not easy. The best way to ensure commitment is to introspect regularly and get critiqued. You may formulate a personal mechanism in this respect, considering what works best for you. All in all, you need to ask yourself aloud, Are you committed to BEING COMMITTED?



Comments

Sheelan Misra said…
Very nicely written, i too agree that commitment is unconditional. Mother's love for her kids(commitment) is unconditional and thats what make them grow successfully....why cant we repeat the same for our work and ourselves
April 3, 2013 at 2:47 AM
Nair said…
Totally Agree...
April 3, 2013 at 3:54 AM
santhosh said…
Agree with the point made that commitment has to come from within. Commitment is sometimes fuelled by inspiration.
April 3, 2013 at 10:32 PM
Unknown said…
Agree to the point ... To get the best, give your best. All corners of life, personal or professional would meet success only using the ladder of commitment. Be it the million dollar Client presentations or the repeatitive New year resolution to get fit - all rest on the anvil of commitment. Great summarization VJ :-)
April 4, 2013 at 2:58 AM
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