1277: Two Truths About Performance Improvement AND From "Beat Down" to "Build Up" by Bryan Shelton of AubreyDaniels.com

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[00:00:30] This is Optimal Work Daily Episode 1277, two truths about performance improvement

[00:00:36] and from Beep Down to Build Up, both by Brian Shelton of AubryDaniels.com

[00:00:43] And I am Dan and I'm your host and narrator here on OWD where I read to you from some of the

[00:00:48] very best blogs in the world that focus on career and your work life. So today we're going to hear

[00:00:53] from Aubry Daniel's site, a couple of guest posts from Brian Shelton and because they are on

[00:00:59] the shorter side I'm giving you a two for one today so let's get to our two posts from Brian

[00:01:04] as we optimize your life. Two truths about performance improvement by Brian Shelton of AubryDaniels.com

[00:01:16] When it comes to influencing behavior and organizations there are two truths that need to be

[00:01:21] considered. These truths relate to two major aspects of the organizational culture,

[00:01:26] the systems operating in the organization and the leadership practices that are allowed or

[00:01:31] encouraged within the organization. When it comes to any performance improvement endeavor,

[00:01:36] understanding each of these influences separately and together can help organizations move

[00:01:41] away from jumping to quick fix or cheap solutions that will likely produce little to know ROI

[00:01:47] to solutions that produce sustained results. Truth One, you can't good job someone's behavior

[00:01:54] through a bad system. People behave in the context of their environment, how the workplace is

[00:02:00] designed including the processes, procedures and systems companies establish all have a profound

[00:02:06] impact on behavior. If we put people in a bad system the system will prevail. To quote Dr. Edwards

[00:02:13] Deming, a bad system will beat a good person every time. Bad systems are created when they set

[00:02:19] someone up to fail. For instance poor training systems, cumbersome engineering, lack of tools and

[00:02:25] resources or overly complicated SOPs. When they have demotivators or punishment built into doing

[00:02:32] the work the right way like extra time, effort or frustration or they actively encourage undesired

[00:02:39] behaviors. In such a system it would feel like someone saying stop it every time someone does

[00:02:44] the desired behaviors. Or go ahead and do that again, when undesired behaviors occur. Adding

[00:02:51] some occasional positive feedback in these systems will often not be enough to create or sustain

[00:02:56] meaningful performance improvement. Will often not be enough to create or sustain meaningful

[00:03:01] performance improvement simply because the volume of the system's naturally produced feedback is too

[00:03:07] loud. Even if leadership could provide enough positive feedback to create some desired behavior

[00:03:12] change without addressing the system's issues, the sustainment of the behavior change would be

[00:03:17] dependent on that level of feedback. Therefore as soon as the current levels of feedback from leadership

[00:03:22] dropped, behavior would be again pulled in the direction that the bad system is encouraging.

[00:03:27] The system will prevail. And truth too, a good system will not withstand poor leadership practices.

[00:03:36] How leaders attempt to influence behavior within an organization will also significantly impact

[00:03:41] behaviors seen in the organization. Even in systems that have been purposefully designed to provide

[00:03:46] positive reinforcement for desired behaviors, poor leadership practices will have a detrimental

[00:03:52] effect on the workforce. Leadership practices such as only focusing on results, exception management,

[00:03:58] ignoring desired behaviors, downplaying accomplishments, treating workers as replaceable

[00:04:04] objects and over relying on punishment will not only have the direct effect of creating

[00:04:09] half-two performance levels, but it will also likely have an interaction effect of decreasing

[00:04:15] the positive reinforcing value produced by the system. To state it another way, poor leadership

[00:04:20] practices can take the fun out of winning and once the fun is gone, what's the point? The best

[00:04:26] designed systems and processes will lose their ability to encourage behavior if poor leadership

[00:04:32] practices are common. In these cases, poor leadership practices will prevail. The behaviors

[00:04:38] seen at all levels of the organization are a product of the system, the leadership practices,

[00:04:43] and the interactions between those two influences. Creating an organization that deliberately produces

[00:04:49] high and sustainable performance requires both a systems approach and an understanding of behavior

[00:04:55] science. One without the other will likely produce suboptimal results and whack-a-mole rework

[00:05:01] as the behaviors of the performers are being influenced in different directions. A good system

[00:05:06] makes work as easy as possible and provides a sense of winning through built-in feedback

[00:05:12] and positive reinforcement. Good leadership practices create or give meaning, reinforcing value,

[00:05:18] to consequences produced by systems which can further optimize performance. They also encourage

[00:05:24] and recognize good work, performance improvement, and focus on purposefully developing people to

[00:05:29] their full potential. Organizations should invest heavily both in systems and leadership improvement

[00:05:36] by addressing the two truths. Organizations can create sustained performance improvement.

[00:05:45] From Beep Down to Build Up by Brian Shelton of AubreyDaniels.com

[00:05:51] Recently during a leadership workshop I was facilitating, a participant approached me at a

[00:05:56] break and told me he wanted more out of his direct reports. I wanted to know why his current

[00:06:01] approach was not producing the desired effect. While I completely believed his sincerity,

[00:06:06] it became clear why he was getting the bare minimum from his team. He repeatedly said,

[00:06:11] quote, I tell my direct reports all the time, don't make me do my job."

[00:06:18] As we continued the conversation I asked him in several different ways if he saw any connection

[00:06:22] between his approach to management and the product of his direct reports behavior. He kept answering

[00:06:28] my questions with different versions of, if they would just do their job I wouldn't have to do mine.

[00:06:34] I must admit I was glad when the break was over since it was clear he did not see the disconnect

[00:06:38] between wanting discretionary effort and managing through fear. I've been thinking about this

[00:06:43] conversation ever since. Based on our discussion this person seemed to see his job as a harbinger

[00:06:49] of discipline, seeing fear as his main management technique. Unfortunately this is not an uncommon

[00:06:56] management style as many companies promote employees into leadership positions without any training

[00:07:02] and development in people management or leadership skills. To make things worse many organizations

[00:07:07] have designed systems processes and policies to support and even promote this management style.

[00:07:14] These shortcomings in company design often lead to over relying on discipline as a main management

[00:07:20] technique. This way of managing people within an organization produces many predictable direct

[00:07:25] and indirect effects that risk the organization's long term success. Do what I say or else

[00:07:32] is a management approach that emphasizes error hunting using the position of authority as a threat

[00:07:38] and using fear to manage people. While this approach may produce some behavior change in the short

[00:07:44] term, the long term effects are detrimental to direct reports and the organization. These adverse

[00:07:50] side effects include bare minimum levels of performance, performers reluctant to try anything new,

[00:07:56] feelings of anger or distrust toward that leader and the organization, and high turnover.

[00:08:02] Leadership is not about beating employees into submission, it's about inspiring them to become great.

[00:08:08] The building up approach to management is the only way to create this type of excellence.

[00:08:13] It is done through the purposeful coaching of critical behaviors to build the skills and knowledge

[00:08:18] of employees. This approach relies heavily on creating a compelling goal, setting up people for

[00:08:23] success by providing the right tools and resources, training to drive exemplary performance,

[00:08:29] and providing helpful feedback and positive reinforcement to ensure sustained behavior change.

[00:08:35] When organizations and leaders are focused on the deliberate development of their people

[00:08:40] and ensure there is a high density of positive reinforcement for the critical behaviors,

[00:08:44] they will get more out of employees. Organizations should invest in the proactive coaching skills

[00:08:50] of their leaders and create systems and processes that support this investment. By investing in a

[00:08:56] building up approach, organizations will have better leaders and a high performing workforce.

[00:09:06] You just listen to the posts titled Two Truths About Performance Improvement

[00:09:10] and from Beatdown to Build Up, both by Brian Shelton of AubreyDaniels.com.

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[00:11:30] And thanks a lot to Brian for letting us share not one but two great posts for you today.

[00:11:34] Brian applies his knowledge and expertise in strategic planning to help organizations align

[00:11:40] employee performance with company goals. Brian helps clients create improvement across a

[00:11:44] variety of business metrics including company growth profitability customer service vision

[00:11:50] alignment leadership development and culture change his behavior based approaches and applications

[00:11:56] have supported clients improvement initiatives leadership development and the design and implementation

[00:12:01] of performance pay systems. So you can show Brian some support by checking out obrydaniels.com that's

[00:12:08] obrydaniels.com. And that's going to bring us to the end of today's episode. I do hope you

[00:12:14] enjoyed both of our posts and thanks so much for listening all the way through and I'll see you

[00:12:18] back here tomorrow where your optimal life awaits.