How to break the performance barrier
The performance barrier should be broken, but don’t let it mean everything: "Too many people are chasing an illusion that we call the future. It will never come. Then we die." (Quote from the book "The Three Laws of Performance" by Steve Zaffron & Dave Logan)
Performance is what matters. Which companies have not added an extra gear to increase performance without increasing costs, it’s in time.
The performance is also clarified and measurable in order to lay the foundation for career development in the long-term and wage trends in the short term.
"Customer focus" has been replaced by "performance management".
In the past, when the customer at all times was at the center, there were many who lived on their reputation and their networks.
Lobbying was a power factor. Then it was good enough to talk about what happened. It was hard to follow up and, above all, it was difficult to measure individual performance.
Performance Management makes new demands. Now is rather that each one takes overall responsibility for both society and the client company, including managing the risks inherent in the decisions to be taken.
To talk oneself in to success is more difficult today, especially if you don’t actively participate yourself. I have met some people who “can do the trick” by doing as little as possible but with the power of their networks and lobbying yet achieves commercial success.
(Lobbying as a means among others in a power game and to influence decision-making will always be a factor and it can if it’s proper used and of course used in good order - the big picture - be effective).
Now a day’s managers and HR has a clearer responsibility / assignment. Since performance today is measured and clarified, it’s important to communicate this increasingly important ingredient for success.
The use of the “right language” as part of the culture has an increasingly important role in achieving high performance.
Past and present are replaced with a forward-looking type of language. President Obama is a good example with rhetorical best practice - Yes, we can!
How does a high-performance character function?
Each "high-performance character" sees obstacles as opportunities and part of the game. High-performance people never blame others when they do not succeed. An obstacle is not an obstacle; it is part of the conditions and the challenges to be overcome.
Each "high-performance character" has a natural ability to share their experiences with others, and to gain new insights but also for working with others to create new ways to overcome challenges.
Here’s a lot to do for HR in many companies. The building of the platforms where exchange of experiences should take place must be a task for the HR department. HR is also the natural and most suitable moderator for these exchanges.
A person who performs well is also "smart" in his or her way of acting. He or she uses old experiences, or at least parts of them, to solve new problems.
Passion is a prerequisite to do well. Passion and motivation appears to be increasingly important. A person who does not feel passionate for his or her work (or company) will not perform well.
Good managers can bring out the best in most people. People who despite all efforts not feel passion, is in the wrong place. We can see examples of individuals performing badly in one environment, while the same person performs great in a different environment. Here HR should take an active role and propose changes when people do not perform as intended.
Do not wait! It may seem strange, but it’s often the small details that need to be adjusted or modified to get the passion to come back to people.
Finally, I note that people who perform well have characteristics as integrity, perseverance, passion, creativity and personal commitment. Very few "lobbyists" manage to perform well in the long run. The networks that were previously their power are rapidly changing in these times when customers' organizations also change frequently.
Kurt-Ove Åhs
Chairman, Sveriges HR Förening
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