"How did I get the Desired Performance!"

"Mid-year 2020, I was doubtful of achieving planned turnover for the whole year particularly since most part of the year was already lost due to the pandemic situation. I wonder, how we got the  Performance though as desired!" exclaimed the CEO on April-1st, the first day the of the next financial year!

Not an April-Fool, but it was a genuine effort of the CEO to understand the "how-&-what" of the things gone right! That - 'to be a learner' - is surely the sign of a 'good' leader wanting to be a 'great' one!

In past I often found an answer to this question in the judicious mix of the application of reinforcement techniques (as the environmental nudges to perform), intrinsic motivation of a person and her capability to perform. So was my reply to the CEO!

Ability + Motivation + Environmental nudges = Performance! I tossed the equation at him.

(Extract from the book: Ego + Ego ... We Go! Behavior Modulation Techniques To Improve Kaizen Leadership, Performance & Negotiation Skills by Shyam Talawadekar)

"You get what you review" as someone has said (or rather ask for it assertively). I've had firsthand experience of this statement (during my leadership career if at all) that one must incorporate right "nudges" in a right manner as an integral part of the Performance-equation as above, I told the CEO. 

Consistency in you conducting weekly reviews as the nudges (subtle ones more frequently) - that consisted of clarity on the weekly goals in tune with the annual ones, enabling teams to work within the "forced"  constraints on resources towards ensuring sustainable growth (as a commitment to planet before profit), to comply with the corresponding standards, driving improvements on the root causes of the shortfalls, if any - followed by instantaneous non-monitory-recognitions as Positive Reinforcements, to those intrinsically motivated employees demonstrating values-based performance, played a major role in getting the desired &/or the raised level of sustainable performance. 

It may not be out of place here to remember that there is a Difference between Ability, Capacity, Capability and the Competence that differentiate between achieving a desired level of performance rather than merely the performance itself.

By the side of the Positive Reinforcements, Negative Reinforcements where needed, such as say the fear of losing compensation proportionate to the lower level of performance, if any, play their own role.

Of course, fear of rationalised punishment, like the one that some non performing managers got in the said company, play its role too.

The positive effect of the former - the Positive Reinforcements - however, gets more than nullified by upsetting the capable as also the intrinsically motivated employees, if the latter, the Negative Reinforcement & especially the punishment to the non performers, is not put in place adequately! However, such a punishment in particular, should not be awarded unless every other effort - Saamaa-Daamaa-Dandaa-Bhedaa - had already failed.

So, effective execution of environmental nudges is as important as building capable people while riding on their intrinsic motivation in order to get the desired level of performance! 

And to get the the desired performance through right means & measures without harming the planet! "We can count, but we are rapidly forgetting how to say what is worth counting and why" as the German-American computer scientist JOSEPH WEIZENBAUM says.

It's good to reflect and build upon the causes of what went right (or what went wrong) in the above process of performance development-cum-management in its intermittent stages rather than complacently rejoicing a good performance (or playing a blame-game regretting a bad performance) at the end of the pipeline. 

Such a 'process of reflection' is called as the Hansen-Kai way to learn wisdom! in Kaizen practising companies that make a difference!

Isn't this the job of a Great leader and that of her Good leadership team!

Also read a few relevant blogposts hereunder:

Do You Force Customers To Quit
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A customer gets what s/he deserves: Shoddy Quality!  
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Taken-For-Granted ? You Deserve It !! 
Strategise To Achieve Targets Daily 
Does recognition really matter 
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Difference between raam-&-krishna tactics

How To Make A Difference

"Which step have you reached today?" The picture with this question makes round on-and-often on social media as also at workplaces (gembas¹).

I don't know its source but would like to give credit to this picture that in a way, among other things, triggered this blogpost.

One can reach the 'top-step' within a moment if one knows "How to make a difference!"

One can make a difference to a given situation by training her brain to be positive. Brain can stay positive by keeping it engaged through positive behaviors.

Here is a 3-point agenda that I try to use in order to engage "myself" in positive actions and stay on the top-step.

1/ Attempt 1-small improvement a day.
2/ Appreciate improvements demonstrated by others.
3/ Say "Thanks" , "Sorry" , "Please" at every opportunity. Good if it's complimented by an action-oriented message fitting the situation rather than merely being goodie-goodie. Good leaders do so: clap as well as "slap" if necessary and appropriate.

Attempt 1-small improvement a day

This helps one to take responsibility to make a difference to status-quo of a given situation. It helps brain to challenge a problematic situation while staying positive on corresponding action.

My S.O.S. commitment to myself is to save-on-something (S.O.S.) each day be it something in the material¹ world or say water¹ or some activity such as say a few wasteful walk-steps.

This may sound like an idiosyncratic fellow, that I am. But it's difficult to dispute the fact that global-warming has crossed threshold levels of warning especially because of greed-based human activity. And of course, driven by the way we measure performance (by want-based results than the need-based input\s - process\es) at both the business as well as at individual level.

If you keenly observe you may find that a lot of human activity is unnecessary & wasteful. If one finds ways and means to combine, merge or eliminate a few activities it can definitely save some material, some human energy as well as ease some difficulties for self and others.

The other day I told a friend of mine that I'm ok with SMS invitation of his son's wedding instead of a hard copy. I even offered him my telephonic time to convince a few common friends so that he could print those many cards less. Helps "Save¹ a Tree" mission! Although it's good if 'such offer' comes from receiver's end, more often than not it gets ridiculed, sometimes as being a miser.

In another instance, a new acquaintance did appreciate my act though, when I humbly returned his business-card after scanning it immediately on Android phone. Hopefully I communicated the message S.O.S. !!!

This brings us to second point of the 3-point agenda.

Appreciate improvement efforts demonstrated by others

This one forces one to catch someone making efforts to do something good and the desired. Remember, "making efforts" or s\he "taking efforts". 

It helps one to "observe" others. It helps to appreciate the 'process' they are involved in rather than waiting for the 'results' of their action that isn't in their control. It forces one to reflect and thereby begin observing "self". It's like subtly learning from others: a source of input for the first point above. 

It also improves your active listening ability.

No need even to say 'Good' while appreciating. Just a 'Smile' as a token of expressing appreciation is OK. It's the fastest and implicit way to recognise others. It's likely to be valued by the receiver because it's done just-in-time (JIT) for the occasion.

I did it the other day when I saw a small boy putting off fan while alighting from lift. In less than a few seconds in the lift, not only I could reinforce his desired behavior but also could earn a friend. Unknowingly I am sure 'thought' process of both of us got triggered in a subtle manner. 

It's like respecting a person by taking cognizance of her efforts. 

Say Thanks, Sorry, Please everyday

This one helps one to express gratitude in an explicit manner. If done particularly when others are at a "receiving end", action-oriented messages fit for the situation also get accepted.

Other day morning my ATM card got stuck. Luckily currency notes came out promptly. Security guard on duty tried his best by fiddling with the keyboard. He seemed to be in a typing-speed contest. After a couple of minutes he acrobatically "slapped" the machine at a couple of spots but in vain. Looking anxiously through the glass as few more morning-walkers joined the queue, he offered to summon another guard on duty on rear-side door of the bank that was yet to open.

By the time both walked in to the scene (the Gemba²) a transaction-slip rolled out of ATM at snail's pace. "It came out  automatically without asking for one", I exclaimed.

"Subahmein machine ko garam honeko time laagta hai (Machine takes time to warm-up in the mornings sometimes.)", one of them said with scenic expressions.

Card however was still stuck inside. Their 'warm-up theory' refused to work this time. Sensing the 'warming temperature' out in the queue, they again "slapped" the machine. By then a bank officer walked in and 'slapped' them with seemingly abusive body language. This time again the machine made fun of all of them. It gently rolled out the card itself without even anyone touching the machine. Fearingly I grabbed the card before it could get "sucked in" again.

Looking at their embarrassed (pinkish-red) faces I said, 'thank-you' and 'sorry-for-the-trouble'. "Now 'please' do some Hansen-kai learning about this frequent 'warming-up theory'. You need to put some operation and maintenance practices in place to remove such abnormalities so that a lot of energy can be saved for yourself as well as for so many people in the morning rush hours.

Although upset, I tried to make a difference by staying cool. That's what was in my control. Of course registered a complaint! 

Doing what's in ones control rather than staying indifferent itself leads to the first-point i. e. making an improvement!! 

All 3-point actions are possible anytime, anywhere, autonomously without any budget, without anyone's permission or approval!!!

Footnotes

1: Go paperless.. is the punchline in my mails that I practice each day. An inefficient paper-mill uses 300-400 ton-water per ton-paper !.. 83,000,000++ton paper is wasted each year !!.. A-Paper-Saved => Lot-of-Water-&-A-Tree-Saved !!
2: Gemba means the workplace where action takes place. One can find a lot many improvement opportunities if the gembutsus (the ATM machine that makes abnormal noise, the card that rolls in, the paper that gets stuck, etc) there are powerfully observed for the way they function. 

Also read a few relevant blogposts hereunder: Please do consider leaving a comment or sharing this post.

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