I have had many conversations regarding performance in business. Most all my conversations are predicated with a thought or a need for improvement in one department or another. Rarely have the conversations began with a more holistic view of business performance. There are a plethora of theories, approaches, philosophies and systems that are readily available for consumption by business owners and leaders that will improve performance. They in themselves are not the solution. They are a pathway. A guideline. A starting point for enhanced performance in any business or department.
Each business has an operational dynamic that is unique to them. Each business has performed at some level of success. Few business owners and leaders would say that there is no need or room for business performance improvement.
That is the reason Performance Leadership is a helpful service to any organization but it comes in many forms.
Coaching:
Why on earth would the best athletes in the world need a coach? Why on earth would the best business person need a coach? A: To maintain focus on performance and guide the leaders in such a way as they are getting the most out of themselves and giving the most from themselves to ensure improved performance.
Processes:
It is impossible to measure performance in it’s entirety without a process. That process should be repeatable for all in the organization to follow and maintain. It should also be utilized as a guideline and not necessarily a connect the dots format giving room for improvement.
Technology:
It indeed improves performance! Only if used appropriately and in consideration of the processes it is replacing or enhancing. It’s a tool! If you don’t know how to use it, it is useless or worst case scenario, harmful.
Systems and Philosophies:
Because a leader “buys in” on a system or process philosophy does not mean the organization will follow without proper “coaching” or guidance. People need to understand the benefit of a new process to the organization and to themselves. They need reason to buy in. Without proper value awareness exercises the effort could very well fail even though it could be a great system or process philosophy. Many of us have encountered change management that has been poorly implemented and left to pick up the pieces….many of us have learned what not to do and some of us have learned what to do better.
All of the above could be handled without coaching depending on your personal pain threshold. With coaching and guidance the success rate goes up…pure and simple. A good coach is part of the team and performs the duties of leadership awareness. It takes the team working together for organizational performance to be realized. It may be implemented one department at a time but the goal should be wholistic in nature.