Leadership Consulting with a J.E.D.I. Lens
Performance Enhancement
Play is separated from work by our attitude
Dozens of principles for creating high performing teams, businesses and individuals can be easily found in business literature. Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton’s The Best Team Wins: The New Science of High Performance
gives five sound principles to improve performance. Jim Collins’ Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don't
has been used as a template in business school classes to identify business characteristics and attempt to predict success. Ian Ayres’ Carrots and Sticks: Unlock the Power of Incentives to Get Things Done
applies behavioral economics to improve performance. The problem with applying generalized information to an individual or organization is that the technique works generally but may not be the best specific solution for your people. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience
and its goal to optimize an experience is, however, one principle that is fundamental to sustained performance. Query any performer of their best performance, and you will often hear that they were “in the zone” and time felt like it slipped by. Poor performance and the resulting conflicts that arise are typically described as wasting time and involving unengaged people.
Begin with these four steps to mitigate conflict related to performance:
- Identify the gaps between expectations and performance.
Conflict with performance universally comes from communication. Job descriptions range from meticulously instructive to vague. Discussing the expectations with all people involved shows both respect and the desire to resolve the conflict.
- Review past efforts and results.
Acknowledging past attempts at resolving issues and its results avoids repeating the same ineffective actions.
- Acknowledge the power differential.
Supervisors and employees do not have the same power. Working through a conflict requires all groups to acknowledge that there is unequal power, but no one is powerless.
- Create concrete and measurable items that demonstrate improved performance.
Performance must be measurable. Conflict comes when performance is measured arbitrarily and inconsistently. Obtainable and well communicated objectives help move individuals and organizations toward improved performance.
Your organization is likely already performing well, but with assistance from the Wade Alliance
we can work with you in addressing the conflicts that arise when performance is in question.
