Performance…it seems these days this word tends to be on most people’s minds. Whether in business, politics or yes, even sports. Performance is one of those terms that has become genericized in our culture. In most organizations, performance usually falls somewhere in the area of performance management systems, operational efficiencies and productivity. With new and evolving ways to manage and develop human performance in the workplace, it’s easy to lose sight of the human element of performance.
I have been fortunate over my professional and athletic careers to have worked with people who are world class performers, most recently while attending the Toronto Pan Am games. All the athletes competing at the games are extremely talented and gifted in their sports . They are very focused, and committed to performing at their best for these games. What we don’t necessarily see, and something we can learn from watching these athletes perform, is that their performance goes well beyond the training programs, and “performance management” systems they use. A large portion of their world-class performance is a result of solid performance leadership coming from their coaches, trainers and sporting federations.
Here are a few performance leaderships practices from the world of sport that you can start to implement into your organization:
Have a Vision
Weather you lead a team of 2 or 20, 000, you need a vision that people can live by daily. This requires personal meaning, so employees feel a sense of passion about the work they are doing.
Care about People
Put “performance” and “results” aside (yes, I actually just said that!), and really start to take a genuine interest in the people you lead. This could be something as simple as getting to know your team members at a personal level.
Always do the right thing
Being a leader is very hard work, despite what we see on TV. It’s very important to always do the “right” thing even when it may not be popular. You will be surprised by the fact that once these types of decisions are made, how much respect you will gain from the people you lead.
These are just a “few” common practices of leaders who are able to get their people to perform at their best. Yes, operational systems are important, but we can never overlook the fact that great performance is a human endeavor, and the only way people will perform at their best is by having leaders in place who lead the people towards performing at their best.
All the best in achieving your highest performance.
Paul