Light the Fire for Great Performance
By Vicki Anderson

 

If great performance is the admired standard, how do you get people to go for it? This is an age-old question asked by many managers, parents, coworkers, coaches, and others. In fact, even great performers aren't able to do it all the time, but when they do, it is definitely an outstanding act. I'm sure many of you would settle for something approaching great, while others would settle for people at least showing up for the event!

When we think of great performances, we usually think of people who are in sports or the entertainment industry. They often have to make great sacrifices to be great performers. You might say they have a fire lit inside them. Think about the Olympians who go for the gold once every four years. They seem to be driven to succeed and are often willing to give up time with their families and friends to train for that revered gold medal.

Think about the entertainers who are away from their families making movies and playing sports. They win awards and accolades from many for their efforts, as well as money, and I often wonder in the long run if the rewards were worth the sacrifice. Is the sacrifice necessary for great performance?

I began thinking about everyday performance by people doing their jobs giving service, making products, and doing all those things we ask people to do for us. We sometimes ask them to make sacrifices of time and money for the job, but does that result in great performance? I don't think so. We all know people who are more outstanding than others in their performance. Is it because they are smarter or more disciplined? Sometimes it is, but I think that more often it is because they know what is expected of them and they not only know how to achieve that expectation, they know they will get rewarded for it after they accomplish it.

Keys to Lighting the Fire

So there it is, the secret to great performance. You, too, can light the fires of great performance when you

1. Ask for great performance
2. Define what it looks like
3. Reward efforts and results

This sounds pretty simple, but how often do we really define what great performance looks like. We say things like, 'Do it the best you can,' or 'Get the parts out the door as quickly as you can,' or 'Be nice to the customer.'

We think people know what we expect from them and they will do it to the best of their ability. Wrong again. After talking with people in many companies throughout my consulting practice, I have discovered that many employees want to know not only what their boss specifically expects from them, but that they will get rewarded when and if they do it. I think people generally know what is expected of them since they get chewed out when they don't do it. They actually get direction by the back door. The boss often spends more time telling them what not to do and they use that information to subconsciously make the assumptions of what they should do.

Creating the Fuel

Supervisors are usually so busy with the tasks that need to get done that they miss the opportunities to work with the people side of their business that will actually get the tasks done more effectively. In fact, many new supervisors have complained to me that they could get their work done if it weren't for all the 'people stuff' they had to deal with.

Tuning in to the 'people stuff' as they call it is the fuel that 'Lights the Fires.' We all know that people work for companies. However, people give money to people they know who happen to be asking for money on behalf of a charity. People vote for people they trust and like, not just the party for which they are registered to vote. And, people work well for people they trust and respect who are their supervisors in companies.

Trust and respect are earned qualifications. They are earned over time with many interactions upon which to judge a person's intentions and whether they do what they say they will do. Surface trust and respect may be given based on a position of authority, but it will quickly fall by the wayside if not proven by actions.

You may be asking what trust and respect have to do with lighting the fire for great performance, but if you think about it, it has everything to do with it. How excited would you be to work very hard on a project and give it your best if the person you are working for has not earned your trust and respect? Doing great work commands that you get excited about what you are doing and that you want to do it well.

Now, you may be saying this is all well and good if you do really important work, but what about the run of the mill jobs that don't require any high level expertise? I contend that you can get excited about doing any work that is worthwhile. If your job is not worthwhile, why are they paying you do it?

When you order a hamburger at a fast food restaurant, don't you want the cook and preparers to take care to make sure the preparation area is clean, the food is fresh, and it tastes good exactly as you ordered it? Considering the frequent alternatives that you receive, I think that it would be great performance to consistently get what I ask for - fresh, fast, and tasty.

Defining Great Performance

So, we come to a definition of great performance. If you ask for it, you must know what it looks like in order to get what you ask for. The key is to communicate clearly what you want so the other person can achieve it for you. Many supervisors have told me that they just want people to do their jobs right every day, but when they do that, the supervisors don't see any need to reward them for it because they are just 'doing their job.'

These same supervisors would also say that good consistently accurate performance is not 'great performance.' I ask you, do most of your employees perform accurately and consistently most of the time? I know that there are employees who never perform consistently and accurately, but there are many who are good solid performers. These performers could be transformed into great performers who go above and beyond when necessary. They are simply not challenged to do so because their current performance is not rewarded. Why should people knock themselves out to do more when they don't see any possible reward?

Rewarding the Efforts and Results

Rewards come in many flavors and sizes. They should be chosen based on the event and what would be meaningful to the recipient. Why is it so uncomfortable for many of us to give recognition? Recognition doesn't have to cost anything, so why do we hoard it? Recently, my husband's company was shut down for the Christmas week, but a few guys with no vacation left were working on Christmas Eve doing some cleaning and rearranging the work areas for better efficiency while everyone was out. His supervisor took the time out to call him at home and wish him Merry Christmas and thank him for the good work he does. It is often the little touches of the 'people stuff' that get remembered and create the fuel to light the fire of great performance.

Positive reinforcement continues behavior, negative reinforcement changes behavior, and no reinforcement over time changes behavior. Using these rules, we should be doing a lot of positive reinforcement if people are doing good work. We should be recognizing good performance every time it happens correctly to continue it. Many people are afraid that using a lot of positive reinforcement sounds mushy and phony or that it will give the recipient a 'big head.' However, it only becomes phony or 'buttering up' if it is not sincere. When you are sincere and specific about what the person did that was good, they understand what you are looking for, so they continue it. One key is to focus on what the person did and why it was meaningful, so that it doesn't look like you are 'buttering them up.' People never get tired of hearing that they are doing the right thing and that it makes a difference.

If you want great performance from your employees, coworkers, children, and others around you, do yourself a favor and light your fire of expectations. Then pass it on by asking for great performance, defining what it looks like, and reinforcing efforts and results. It's catching and you will find others passing the torch as well.

Vicki Anderson

Anderson Resources

Phone/Fax: 918-252-1027

www.andersonresources.net

Vicki Anderson works with leaders who want to improve their competence and confidence in their ability to help others achieve peak performance.