What if you didn't feel like you mattered? What if people thought your contributions were insignificant? Why would you want to try?

Dedication requires a foundation of belief. It can't take root unless people feel like they count for something—that comes through acknowledgment. If folks doing sloppy work get by along with those doing first-class work, if nobody cares, the urge to deliver excellent results dies. Everyone needs to know they are essential.

When a manager or an experienced peer discounts people's worth by ignoring them, taking them for granted, or giving the impression that they are readily replaceable, employees begin to act less worthy. They become less valuable. They begin living into a self-fulling prophecy and start to detach from the organization mentally.

Your job, as a manager and a peer, is to make every person feel like they matter. See that each one gets to go home that night feeling useful and relevant.

Need your people—as individuals. Let it show. Ask for their help. Lean on them.

Dedication comes from feeling necessary—or, better still, from feeling that one is critically important to the organization's mission. Convince every person that their contribution carries weight, and dedication will start to increase.

Sometimes an organization ends up with more people than it needs. Changing circumstances mean employees need to be let go or reassigned.
The survivors of change can easily misinterpret the situation, taking it as hard evidence that people don’t count. Truth is, they matter more than ever.
Make sure people get that message.
Dedication comes from feeling necessary.

To perform well while under pressure, we need to develop habits to work more effectively. Making the right decisions, engaging with others effectively, learning to manage our own emotions takes practice.

Driving Dedication During Change: A pocket guide for becoming an effective linchpin enables you with all the tools and tactics you need to make your interactions less stressful and more effective.