What is a high performance business culture and how do we go about creating one?
The great news is most of us in the professional world want to be a part of a high performance culture. Most people prefer to be on a winning team versus a losing team. Winning tends to be more fun, exciting, fulfilling...profitable. So why is the high performance culture so elusive?Individuals, teams, organizations all begin growth from within. I believe, from my own personal experience and observation, that every person, team or organization has the capacity for incredible results! Success is indeed a choice.
If seeking that next level for your organization consider first the following:
1) Individual. Getting to that culture of high performance begins at the individual level.
- Ummm, Mr/Ms Executive or Team Leader that means YOU too. What are you doing to propel yourself to the next level? If you're not prepared for high performance culture what happens when your people get there? Are you ready to lead on or get left behind?
- Find the strengths of the individuals you influence and develop them. Don't focus on the downside and what's not great. Focus on what WILL be great.
- But don't be afraid to tell the truth either. Until people can handle honest feedback they are not ready for high performance culture. Use reaction to honest feedback as a barometer for growth. Was it accepted as honest feedback and acted upon positively? Or was it received as harsh criticism and rejected in the form of poor results? Go behind the scenes of any championship calibre sports team and you'll hear less about the last win as you will about how they could have improved or what they will do to get the next win.
2) Team. More than a collection of high performing individuals.
- Now it gets interesting. Do you have the right people on the team? Look closely, even if you have a team full of great performers you may not have the right chemistry or balance of talent.
- Do you have a team? Are individual members supporting one another?
- How's the communication? Not just from top down. But from bottom up and side to side. A team really starts to perform when it grows organically from within. Challenging each other and the leader (not to be confused with blaming or complaining). How can WE get better? That is a question of a strong team. Weak teams will look to the leader for the answers or place blame on each other or on situations beyond their immediate control (i.e. the economy).
3) Organization - Synthesis of high performing teams operating in concert toward common goals
- Few organizations can achieve or sustain this level of performance. It takes the absolute commitment from leadership and buy-in from individuals in the organization (see - do you have the right people on the team above)
- Leadership must have the will to weather out the greatest of storms, wipe their sheet of music clean and wave the wand in rhythm while it is still raining
- Office politics have no place and must be proactively managed by the person at the top. Not aggressively thwarting it is equal to promoting the practice.
High performing individuals or cultures do not come easy. It takes commitment, hard work and resolve.
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