Bill Snyder, Kansas State’s legendary football coach, is famous for his 16 goals for success. His players recite the line: “…to common goals & being successful. Individually, if we accomplish these goals, the entire team will be successful.”

Throughout the year, we will discuss these 16 goals and how to apply them to the Vermillion Group’s common goals in 2013. We welcome you along for this journey…

#1: COMMITMENT tops the list. Without it, a goal becomes but a wish.

A commitment means saying yes without having to contemplate your current mood or other considerations. Shift gears from football to baseball and immediately one star stands high above all the others when talking about commitment. The Iron Man.

Although Cal Ripken, Jr. will be remembered for many records, his legacy is built around commitment, consistency, and his longevity record for the most consecutive games in baseball history.

Cal summarizes how he was able to achieve such a clear commitment to baseball with this:

“I didn’t just show up for work, as has sometimes been said. I also showed up to work.”

He explains that showing up each day means nothing if you are not committed to being there and making yourself indispensable by constantly striving for improvement.

“I think it’s important, especially in this economy, to see that you can’t stay around if you’re not getting better,” Ripken says. “No business or baseball team is going to keep people just because they show up. You have to constantly be looking for ways to get better, looking for ways to improve your value to the organization. You have to develop strong fundamentals—no matter what you do—and you have to make yourself indispensable. That requires you to constantly be evaluating what you’re doing and what needs to be done.”

I can tell you without a doubt that Cal did not go out that first day in May of 1982 with the thought of accomplishing what he did. And that leads me to conclude that when applying his level of commitment to business is all about focusing on today. Not what happened yesterday, or what will be happening tomorrow.

Step back and approach today with the idea that you must improve what you are doing when you step into the office. You must maintain a consistent approach and refine your craft. You must become laser-focused on meeting your daily goals today, and before you realize it, your daily commitment becomes something extraordinary.

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