Leading for Performance

…building a performance focused culture and organisation

Whether you are a senior executive or an employee of an organisation, we all fundamentally want the same things:

• To be part of a visionary organisation that we can be proud of
• To have a clear and compelling sense of Purpose in the work we do
• To work with talented people who are committed to giving of their best
• To be able to achieve a sense of Mastery in our work, and be given the Autonomy to perform to our best
• To work in a positive environment where everyone’s contribution is clearly defined and truly valued
• To have a sense we are getting a year’s learning and living from a year’s working
• To be well led

Often we fail to achieve this due to:

• Poor vision and direction – people don’t know what the overall aim is, what the priorities are, or where to commit their energies
• Poor leadership, that fails to deliver the vision, trust, empathy and autonomy to create a climate where people are inspired to perform, and thrive
• Lack of an effective and simple performance management system and processes
• Poor communication
• Wrong people, wrong place
• Poor systems, processes, facilities or tools to enable good people to perform well
• An inappropriate culture

We use a very simple yet profound performance formula to both diagnose performance problems and to focus strategies for ensuring we get the performance we desire.

P  =  A  x  M  x  O  x  D

Performance  =  Ability  x  Motivation  x  Opportunity  x  Direction

Leading for Performance is the art and science of getting these four factors into positive balance.

Research by Daniel Pink showed the three biggest drivers of motivation at work are: having a clear and compelling Purpose that is beyond tasks, KPIs, or profit (Direction), being able to achieve Mastery at the work we do (Ability), and be given the Autonomy to plan how we go about the work we do (Opportunity).

Other research by Towers Watson, Gostick and Elton showed the highest performing teams are characterised by leaders who create a strong culture of belief in the organisation and their own leadership (Purpose / Direction), which results in staff who feel engaged, enabled, and energised by their team leader and the climate they create.

Creating this high performance culture and climate and the performance systems and processes needed to support it, is the focus and essence of the work we engage in with clients.

Our programmes and services

Performance Management System Development

• Designing a system, processes and tools which provides a clear line-of-sight from the organisations vision and goals, to each individual and team
• A system and process which engages staff and ensures performance via engagement and commitment, rather than compliance or coercion
• A system which links effectively the human capacity elements:
  • Effective recruitment and selection
  • Training, learning and development
  • Reward and recognition
  • Succession planning
• Training people in the effective use of the system

Competency Framework Development

• Building a competency framework for identified roles and positions, and behavioural descriptors for each competency, expressed as BARS (Behaviourally Anchored Rating Scales)
• Linking the framework to the other human capacity elements:
  • Recruitment and selection
  • Training, learning and development
  • Performance management system
  • Reward and recognition
  • Succession planning
• Training people in the effective use of the system

Climate and Culture Development

The main impact factor on an organisation’s performance is the culture and climate existing in the organisation.  In turn 50 – 70% of the culture and climate is determined by the leadership styles and influence of the team leader. Creating the right climate and culture, one that builds trust, openness and honesty, risk-taking and innovation, commitment, synergy and team work, encouragement and positivity, is a key requirement of leaders throughout the organisation. Our services include:

• Assisting leaders to understand and design the appropriate culture and climate they need for success, the culture and climate they currently have, and the nature of any key gaps that need addressing
• Helping leaders understand what leadership behaviours, practices, and attitudes will generate the desired culture and climate
• Working with leaders to develop and sustain the desired behaviours, practices and attitudes
• Helping individuals to clarify and plan their own work focus, priorities, actions, and measurements
• Helping managers to develop the processes, practices and skills to negotiate, maintain, and review effective performance from people, in a manner that builds commitment and ownership.
• Turning around under performers
• Stretching High Performers
• Project Management
• Leading Service Breakthroughs
  The answer to success for any organisation in the service sector lies in the quality of the service experience they provide.  We work with service leaders and providers to identify the breakthrough opportunity for the quality of the service experience they can provide, which will become a real point of difference for the organisation.
• Innovation and Creativity
  The organisation which prospers in a fast changing environment is the one which can innovate, renew itself constantly, continuously improve, and has a high resilience to ongoing change. While most organisations seek this, many fail to achieve it. The reasons are usually two fold:

• People do not know how to be innovative and creative, have forgotten how to, or tell themselves they can’t
• The organisation’s culture does not actively support, encourage, or require innovation and creativity, or may actively discourage it

We work with organisations, teams and individuals to address these issues.

Contact us for more information about our Leading for Performance programmes, or for us to design a programme for your specific needs.