Are You Interested or Committed?

Years ago, I had a coworker who every Thursday afternoon would say the same thing at the same time: “I’ve hit my 32.”

As in 32 hours. As in “my work week is now over and I’m leaving.” He would often update us on how many hours (or minutes) he had left before hitting his 32. The first time I heard it, I thought it was funny — then I realized he wasn’t joking.

He was serious.

In his mind, his job responsibilities expired the moment he hit 32 hours. One time he hit his 32 in the middle of a conversation. “It’s your problem now” was his response.

As you might imagine, his attitude didn’t do much to “win friends or influence people” — most noticeably among his coworkers.

In the words of Ken Blanchard, he was interested but not committed.

“There’s a difference between interest and commitment. When you’re interested in doing something, you do it only when it’s convenient. When you’re committed to something, you accept no excuses; only results.” — Ken Blanchard

Neither myself or Blanchard would advocate being a workaholic. Work-life balance and proper self-care are two virtues that make for a healthy person and a healthy workplace. Our lives and careers benefit from systems that protect our priorities and establish the proper guardrails.

That being said, while we are working let us work hard. People who just watch the clock don’t earn our respect – or change the world. To change the world requires you to put in time and effort. It takes work. And, as Ken Blanchard notes, it’s often inconvenient.

Greatness in any area of life requires commitment, not just interest. It’s true of great coaches, great parents, and great artists. Great teams – on the field or in the office – share the same passion for commitment.

The benefits of commitment over interest are many. For one, it’s more fun to work with the committed people. You get more accomplished with committed people. Commitment is contagious (and so is complacency).

Interested or committed?

Have you hit your 32?