Leading performance improvement results in two challenges. If these two challenges are not resolved, they derail the performance improvement initiative, and back at the office create a familiar pattern of “on to the Next.” It’s my observation that over 80% of improvement initiatives fail, or at the very least, every organization’s history is littered with performance improvement initiatives that were not brought to conclusion and were abandoned.
The two challenges are:
1. Reliance upon interest vs discipline (internal) and
2. Coping with resistance (external) Let’s discuss the internal challenge in this blog.
The internal challenge every manager must face whent intending to lead/drive performance improvement is transfering the driver for change from interest to discipline. Performance improvement initially starts based upon awareness of some felt need. For example, “we’re not making enough profit,” “I’m working really hard and there’s not enough to show for it,” “that’s the last time I want to be in front of a customer and be embarrassed by not having the information I need,” etc… That felt needs generates a certain level of tension and interest in a solution for avoiding the “ouch” through better performance. But, here’s an interesting fact, The interest factor almost always fades out before the performance improvement initiative is secured.
Often, interest starts diminishing after the “solution” is bought or brought on-site. This causes some easing of the felt pain over the problem, which is attributable to the feeling of having done something (expressed internally as “I’ve started, I’ve done something about it, made a purchase, etc.). Remember, the solution is not actually in play, it’s just on-site in the form of software or consultants, or perhaps a new “How to” video or an e-book.
During a typical cay, leaders are more dependent upon interest and busyness, resulting in a distraction from what really drives performance improvement: discipline. Note that neither interest levels nor busyness is an adequate substitute for discipline when it comes to driving performance improvement. Why?
Let’s examine how interest works as a driver for our work activity. Interest get’s us focused on what feels immediately rewarding to attend too, and also prompts a switch to “next” as soon as the interest factor fades. Conversely, Busyness, represents action without high levels of interest, but also without the additional elements of value-add focus or prioritization. It has a certain pacifying, comforting, mechanical quality… after all you are busy. It’s represents major chunks of our day for most of us in the activities of attending scheduled meetings, or responding to the onslaught of email. However, interest plus busily attending meetings and responding to email doesn’t drive performance improvement.
Here’s an interesting side note. When interest is a key driver for leadership behavior, mental fatigue is a consistent ear-mark of diminishing interest. When working with leaders in this area, they often complain of physical tiredness or mental fatigue as their interest fades. The internal dialogue goes something like this, “OK, so this seems boring, I’m feeling frigidity, in fact, thinking of spending more time on this is making me feel down-right tired… I’ll deal with this later, what’s next?”
That’s right; it is very easy to mistakenly treat fatigue or fading interest as a cue to move onto “Next”, as opposed to something to work through in terms of better business discipline. Successfully achieving performance improvement requires internally orienting to a process of tracking, follow-up and removal of obstacles, week after week. This is the discipline that eventually makes improved performance the new standard. I’ll describe more about what that discipline looks like in a follow-up blog.
Bottom Line: Achieving improved performance takes time and a lot of effort. It is an effort that will take a longer time to complete than initial interest will last. Ultimately to be successful at leading change, you have to develop a discipline that keeps you continuing in your focus and follow-up on the priorities you’ve established long beyond the point at which initial interest has worn off. Let me know what drives your performance.
If you’ve ever been on the hiring end of the interview table, you probably started the interview by looking at a resume or an application to get a feel for the individual’s qualifications, right? And those qualifications, or technical skills is most likely what you focused on during the interview because you’re looking for someone who can handle the job duties, i.e. has the experience to get the work done without a steep learning curve.