Tweet

How to transform performance

Guest post by: Douglas Long

Article Overview: Can the performance of any individual or person be transformed? In almost every case: “yes”. But it requires a different type of leadership from that which we normally encounter.

How to transform performance

One of the biggest challenges faced by any leader is that of transforming performance. How do you take a poor or mediocre performing unit or organisation and enable it to achieve its potential? There are many people today who are disillusioned with trying to do their best. They started with high hopes of a satisfying and rewarding life but, over time, something has happened: they have switched off and now do just enough to avoid negative consequences. As a one-time colleague used to say; “They have quit and stayed”. For some, this “quit and stay” mentality started in the home or at school. It didn’t matter how hard they tried, nothing was ever good enough. Even when they had done their best, they got shouted at, ridiculed, or punished in some other way. They developed a mind-set that said “What’s the use? It doesn’t matter what I do, I’m never going to succeed.” These people go into any situation expecting to fail or, at the best, be mediocre, and that’s exactly what happens. Nice people – very often the most pleasant people one could meet – but people with a negative outlook on what they can do. The result is a lack of self confidence or of personal belief and a low level of performance. For others, this “quit and stay” mentality developed at work. “Bright eyed and bushy tailed” they wanted to make a contribution and to show initiative. They absorbed their education and training, developed requisite skills, and sought to achieve results. As their experience developed they saw ways by which things could be improved or they experimented with different approaches. But they were rapidly brought back into line either by their peers who told them “these are the norms and this is the way we do things around here” or by their boss who saw such activities as a threat to his or her power and authority – “you’re not paid to think,” was an adage oft repeated in many organisations of yesteryear. Gradually the enthusiasm waned and, if they stayed, they adapted their performance down to the level of those around. In the realm of psychology it is well known that if you manipulate someone’s environment for long enough by continually surrounding them with conditions over which they have no control, eventually people will start to change and become compliant. They will accept the status quo – even when they could actually change it. They have entered the realm of “learned helplessness”. This is the technique that, even if not always understood and deliberately implemented, lies behind cults and the long-term tolerance of physical, sexual, and emotional abuse. Of course, in a poorly performing unit or organisation, not everyone will be in this category. But the impact of those who have entered the “learned helplessness” stage is immense. No matter what they may say, their inability to actually change behaviour without help drags down the overall performance of everyone. And in such circumstances the usual reaction by the leader tasked with transforming performance is to “get rid of the dead wood” – a process that tends to solve the issue in the short term but which generally fails to bring the long term positive results required. The problem is, of course, that ‘dead wood’ performance has usually been exacerbated internally by a system that robs people of ‘pride of workmanship’ and turns both people and their ability to think and perform into simple commodities. Unless and until the system changes then the underlying culture doesn’t change – no matter how diligent and committed a new leader may be. The job of management is to positively transform the interaction between corporate upper ranks, business people and customers. This requires knowledgeable and intelligent leadership – and far too frequently the best forms of this are inadequately found in either First Generation Leaders or Second Generation Leaders. Accordingly, to transform performance it is necessary to transform the culture. And this is equally true whether we are talking about an individual, a unit, or an organisation. The steps for transforming performance are simple. 1. Believe in the person, unit or organisation. Ultimately the performance we get is the performance we expect – the self fulfilling prophecy concept. For transformation to be possible we need to believe in ourselves as leaders, in our people, and in our organisation. There is a concept known as cognitive dissonance. Cognitive dissonance occurs when there is a discrepancy in the things we believe and experience. What this means is that we may tend to evaluate what we experience in the light of what we believe or to change our beliefs in the light of what we experience. Accordingly, if we don’t really believe that our people are capable of high performance, we may tend to explain away any instance of creativity or high performance as being “luck” or an aberration. If that is our approach then we will never facilitate change in these people. If we see people as being “dead wood” then that is precisely what we will help them remain! Of course, if we really believe in our people or if, when we see creativity or high performance, we change our mindset and start to believe in these people, then things are well on their way to success. 2. Operate from the “blue zone” of brain control. Our default area of control in the brain is the red zone. This is the zone in which there is resistance to change and in which we tend to evaluate the future by what we have already experienced. The blue zone is the zone of apprehension and fear – it is the mindset in which we will usually see the glass as half-empty! It is the area in which we will always see what hasn’t been done or what is wrong rather than seeing what has been done or what is right. When our people are operating out of the brain’s red zone of control, they will know that the way to avoid threat and/or negative consequences is by doing exactly what they are told to do. This is the approach welcomed by First Generation Leaders and Second Generation Leaders. Such leaders have a high need to be in control; to be the decision makers; and to know exactly what is happening and how it is happening at all times. Red zone leaders are scared of failure so they foster red zone compliance in their followers – and long term high performance is always under threat in such circumstances. First Generation Leaders and Second Generation Leaders are usually those responsible for killing the wood in the first place. For high levels of performance we need to operate out of the blue zone of brain control and we need to help our followers to shift the locus of control in their brains also. Only the blue zone of control can lead to true creativity and innovation. (There is more about how to do this in other of my postings here at Evan Carmichael.) 3. Apply the principles of Third Generation Leadership. Third Generation Leadership is all about creating an environment in which people can achieve their best. It is about having people engaged with their work, with each other, and with the leader. Third Generation Leadership is all about the leader always showing unconditional respect for his or her followers no matter whether or not respect is returned. Third Generation Leadership is about true accountability where people want to achieve and hold themselves personally accountable for what happens. Third Generation Leaders operate in an atmosphere of creativity and courage. They work with others whether the others are their followers or their own leaders. (There is more about this concept in other of my postings here at Evan Carmichael.) 4. Allow adequate time. It takes time and trust to change behaviour. When people are approaching or have reached a state of learned helplessness they will initially view any change with fear and distrust – and pruning the “dead wood” will simply add to the fear and distrust that already exists. Before a leader can start to bring about long term improved performance, he or she needs to establish trust and to earn the respect of his or her followers. That doesn’t happen overnight. A leader needs to ensure that the time allocated for the turnaround is appropriate for what is required and he or she needs to persist even when the “death valley” or even worse results occurs during the stage in which the trust and belief that leads to behaviour change is being developed. Can the performance of any individual or person be transformed? In almost every case: “yes”. But it requires a different type of leadership from that which we normally encounter.

Related Articles
  “How to Transform Your Time Spent in Business Meetings From Time Wasted to Time Well Spent”
  THREE FACTORS MAKE PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT A SUCCESS
  Noticing Stress In Your Life
  Performance Dashboards
  Sales Team Transformation thru Coaching
  Do You Know and Plan For The 3Rs for Your Business
  Bye Bye Business Method Patents
  Enlightened Millionaires: AHA Number 7
  Magic Words
  Are We Entitled?
  Inspirational Leadership: Personal Transformation
  Developing Management Skills - Taking Focused Action Is The Key
  Organizational Readiness To Performance Management
  5 Steps to Overcome Procrastination and Take Action
  Here Is A Quick Way To Improve Your Performance Review
  "If I'm a Self-Starter, Why Aren't You?" Those High in Initiative May Be Challenged as Coaches
  Transforming Performance by Improving Thinking.
  Virtual Bankruptcy Assistant (VBA)
  How should I reward employee performance?
  How to End Performance Anxiety – Quickly!

Article Tags: accountability, achieving peak performance, blue zone, cognitive dissonance, learned helplessness, red zone, third generation leadership, transforming performance



Related Forum Posts
Laptop v PC - My ten cents worth. I switched from PC to laptop and have never looked back, the freedom to work anywhere is fantastic, you can be totally untethered from the office, especially with wireless broadband. Some observations regarding AMD vs Intel Inspiron debate. While there are few office based real world performance issues between the two machines, the AMD initial cost versus its performance is excellent. And it seems to be quieter too.
Re: Email Marketing Benefits - Robert, Many lists consist of more prospects than customers. Customer lists are the best, but they are created because prospects successfully transform into customers.
Re: Does a New Company need a "Big" PR firm? - [quote="TheRainmaker":23enhep1]I agree with SHri, it really depends on the target audience and how much service you really need. if you are doing National campaign than you want a firm that has the National contacts. Lots of smaller companies dont have as many resources or connections. Many firms are going to a pay for performance model which I think will do the PR and advertising industry good. no more $5000 retainers for sending out a couple of press releases - no matter how well written or targeted! if they dont get picked up, they dont get paid. J[/quote:23enhep1] Those retainers were insane and from a lot of people I talk with, the company really wasn't earning it at all. Other firms earned every penny, but its easy for some people to get comfortable doing as little as possible and still taking those retainers. Pay for performance can help make people "hungry" - when they are "hungry", then tend to be more motivated. Shri
Re: Service Or Product? - I would say both, service or product may be profitable once you take advantages from the online market. it depends on its performance and particularly the website appearance
Re: FILL IN THE BLANK: You know you're an entrepreneur when: ___ - ------------you can see an opportunity which others do not fully recognise, to meet an unsatisfied demand or to improve the performance of an existing business. regards, Mal.


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

Anger Solutions at Work: Why Customers Get Angry

Build Corporate Credit for Your Small Business

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.