5 Steps to Building Brilliant Teams. 3. Commitment
“Commitment Isn’t About Consensus — It’s About Clarity.”
Commitment Isn’t About Consensus — It’s About Clarity.
Commitment in teams isn’t about getting everyone to agree - it’s about shared clarity and confidence in the way forward.
It’s not simply about people:
Saying yes when they don’t really mean it.
Agreeing — but not really committing.
Real commitment in teams doesn’t come from keeping everyone happy. It comes from clarity.
Clarity about why we’re here.
Clarity about what we’re trying to achieve.
Clarity about how we work together to get there.
Teams don’t need to agree on everything — but they do need to leave a conversation clear about the decision, aligned on the next steps, and committed to moving forward together.
Without clarity, teams drift.
Without commitment, teams stall.
This is the third blog in my series exploring how to build a brilliant team — inspired by Patrick Lencioni’s Five Dysfunctions of a Team model. In the first, we looked at Trust and in the second, we explored Healthy Conflict. Today, we’re talking about Commitment — and why it starts with clarity.
What Patrick Lencioni Says About Commitment
Patrick Lencioni describes commitment as the result of clarity and buy-in, not forced consensus or endless discussion. He makes it clear: Commitment doesn’t mean everyone always agrees. In fact, healthy teams often don’t agree during discussion — that’s a sign of healthy conflict (as we explored in the last article).
But once a decision is made, great teams commit fully — because they’ve had the chance to share their views, debate the options, and feel heard.
When commitment is missing in a team, Lencioni warns that indecision takes over. Meetings become circular. Actions get delayed. People leave conversations feeling frustrated or unclear about what’s happening next.
Without clarity, ambiguity creeps in.
Without buy-in, accountability drops.
Without commitment, results suffer.
As Lencioni puts it:
“A lack of commitment leads to ambiguity among team members about direction and priorities, which leads to lack of confidence and fear of failure.”
This is why clarity — of purpose, values, and ways of working — is essential. Teams need to know what they’re committing to, why it matters, and what’s expected of them.
What Drives Commitment in Teams?
Commitment happens when people are crystal clear on three things:
Purpose — Why are we here?
Values — How do we work together?
Ways of Working — What does that look like day-to-day?
Let’s break them down.
Start with Purpose — Your WHY
As Simon Sinek says in Start With Why:
“People don’t buy what you do; they buy why you do it.”
Your team’s WHY is its purpose. It’s the reason you show up. It’s what gives meaning to the work. Ask your team:
Why does this team exist?
Why do we get out of bed every morning to do this work?
Why should anyone care?
Purpose brings people together and provides a north star for decisions and actions. It creates alignment and helps teams focus on what really matters.
Your HOW — Values in Action
Values are the principles that guide how you work, communicate, and collaborate. But they’re not just words on a wall or in an employee handbook. Real values are visible every day in behaviour. Great values should be:
Easy to understand
Relevant every day
Used to guide decision-making and action
Too often, company values are generic (Integrity! Excellence! Innovation!) and mean very little in practice. The real question is:
What does this value look like in action?
Values should clarify:
How we work together
What behaviours we expect from each other
What’s okay — and what’s not okay — here
Ways of Working — Clarity Removes Ambiguity
Commitment isn’t just about big-picture purpose. It’s about practical clarity too.
Clear teams agree on how they work together, so people know what to expect.
Here are some areas worth defining as a team:
Meetings
What’s the purpose of different meetings?
How often do we meet?
How do we make sure meetings lead to action?Communication
What tools do we use for what? (Email, Teams, WhatsApp etc.)
What’s the expected response time?
How do we avoid overwhelm?Working Day
What are our working hours?
What’s expected around annual leave or out-of-hours messages?
How do we cover for each other?Decision-Making
How do we make decisions?
What’s decided together vs by individuals?
How do we communicate decisions clearly?Recognition, Feedback & Growth
How do we recognise and reward values-driven behaviour?
How do we support learning and development?
How do we give and receive feedback?
Create a Team Charter
One of the most practical ways to build clarity and commitment is to co-create a Team Charter. This is a simple, shared document where you capture:
Your team’s purpose
Your values (and what they look like in action)
Your agreed ways of working
Your rituals and rhythms (how you meet, communicate, celebrate)
How you make decisions
How you give feedback
What you expect of each other
It’s not about creating more bureaucracy — it’s about removing assumptions. When teams create a Charter together, they have more ownership, more clarity, and more commitment. It becomes their shared agreement — a reference point for how they want to work and succeed together.
Reflection Exercise: How Committed is Your Team?
Take 10–15 minutes to reflect on this yourself — or use these prompts in your next team meeting to open up a powerful conversation about clarity and commitment. You can do this as a written journaling activity, a team workshop, or even a casual lunchtime chat — the key is honesty and curiosity.
Step 1: Reflect (solo or together)
Ask yourself (or your team):
Does everyone know why our team exists? Can we all say it in one sentence?
Are our values lived and visible — or just words on a wall?
Where is ambiguity showing up in how we work?
Where have we made assumptions that might need clarifying?
Are people confident in how we make decisions, give feedback, or manage priorities?
Step 2: Identify a commitment blocker
What’s one area where lack of clarity might be slowing us down, causing confusion, or creating friction?
What’s the impact of that — on performance, wellbeing, trust?
Step 3: Decide on a next step
What’s one thing we can define or revisit together — this week — to build clarity and alignment?
Bonus Tip: Use Post-its or an online board If you're doing this as a team activity, ask people to write anonymous thoughts on post-its or a shared digital board (e.g. Jamboard, Miro, or MURAL). For example:
“I’m not sure what our real priorities are right now.”
“Decisions are being made without clear communication.”
“I’m unclear on how feedback works here.”
Then group themes, discuss, and co-create a small action plan.
Need Help Creating Clarity & Commitment in Your Team?
Need Help Building Commitment in Your Team
Commitment doesn’t happen by accident — it happens when people feel clear, connected, and involved.
That’s where I come in.
I design and facilitate practical, human team workshops that help people get aligned on what matters most — and how they want to work together.
→ Workshops rooted in insight and action.
→ Tools to create clarity and shared purpose.
→ Space for people to talk (really talk).
If you’d like to chat about how I could support your team, get in touch.
Call Polly on 07966 475195 or email polly@pollyrobinson.co.uk
