The Performance Pyramid: Part 2
The “flip side” of the Performance Pyramid are the top 3 boxes. These are the things that our employees, teams, those we are working with bring to this work relationship. I would like to pause there for a moment and remind people that yes, our staff do bring things to the work place and that is why we hired them!
Wedman & Graham, not Jen Zysk.
Knowledge & Skill
I really enjoy talking to staff about this box. This positively reinforces their confidence. This is the opportunity to point out what made them a strong candidate. Acknowledge that they have knowledge and skill coming into this and coupled with the leaders responsibility of providing their resources (boxes), we can accomplish things together.
Motivation & Self Concept
I will put a disclaimer here, this is where many people may disagree with me, but hang in there. It gets interesting.
I do not believe it is a leaders responsibility to motivate staff. Not only do I not believe that, I believe it is rude. I used to believe it and not only made mistakes but was very frustrated in my work. But again, you’ll see the motivation piece is in the resources (box) area of what the team member brings to this relationship. Hm - thought provoking I hope!
I started out leading a group of 6 and have most recently had responsibility for 110. Over the time that I had all these experiences I realize this; I respect that those are 6-110 different lives that have a lot going on and that their lives are none of my business. At the most simplistic start, when each of us points our cars in the direction of our workplace, we have a starting point for our motivation. What I do influence is their work place and by leading well (handling my resource responsibilities well) I am hopeful that those who care about their work will find it motivational. They will know what is expected of them, they have what they need to do their work and know that they’ll be paid for their work.
Self Concept often starts a lot of conversations. I know that my field may not be the field that every worker wants to grow in, but it could help them find their way. The idea of what they can bring to the work place is up to them and can certainly evolve over time.
Performance Capacity
Simply put…..what are you capable of? Each of us as a contributor, worker, team member, is responsible for the work and what we can make of the work. This is where I know I have had some of the most satisfying work experiences with people on the team I lead. What I mean by that is seeing people who give growth, learning and leading a try.
I always wanted to give other people an opportunity because others had given me an opportunity. I am confident in saying that most of the people who took me up on the offer, even though the work was hard, have done incredibly well! I have been incredibly encouraged by their growth and they continue to sit down and talk to me about their thoughts, their process and their insights. Those are rich discussions and I am incredibly thankful for them.
As a whole, this model works and has worked for me. In addition, it grows as your relationship grows with individuals and teams as you continually work on more and more goals. Not only does this optimize the individual and the team, it increases resilience and trust.
With everything each of us has going on in our lives, it helps create a tangible piece of evidence that we are doing better. At the same time, it does show the staff members who really don’t care. And please know, no matter what tools leaders come up with or use, there are some people who just really do not care and leaders cannot change that. It is good to know that. But with those who engage, you can accomplish big things including making the work lives of your teams more relevant.