What Is High Performance? And Why Engineering?
We define high performance as the sustainable realisation of potential in the achievement of outstanding results.
We know from research that high-performing organisations are made up of high-performing teams. And that high-performing teams are made up of outstanding individual contributors:
The strength of an organisation lies in the performance of its teams.
- Google, McKinsey, Harvard & Deloitte
60% of a team's success hinges on the individual contributions of its members.
- Harvard Business Review
We also know that teams realising their potential are in the minority:
70% of business teams struggle to reach high performance.
- Dale Carnegie & Associates
The work we do is in an arena we call 'cultural engineering' - building high performance organisations through teams’ and individuals’ growth, by taking data driven insights to enable empathic coaching and consultative workshop facilitation, all underpinned with objectivity.
Ultimately, high performance is less about having a laser-like focus on results, but more a laser-like focus on what will be required to realise these results - namely, to live and breathe the right behaviours. So, when we work with senior leaders and their teams, we design interventions that are informed by behavioural science.
We’re hard-wired to be lazy - it’s our biochemistry. So, high performance is an abnormal pursuit, because sapiens are designed to be normal. We have evidence of this in the normal distribution curve of performance most organisations see after annual performance reviews.
The path to excellence is the one of most resistance. Which means you’ll trip up from time to time. Or be hesitant. We need to use our inner coach, rather than take notice of our inner critic.
Which is where performance coaching plays a crucial role. For you to have access to someone outside of your inner voice to help you realise your potential and remove any impediments in the way.
After all, anything is possible. A growth mindset (Dr. Carol Dweck) is what’s required.
Know that this won’t come easily. It’ll require you to work both hard & smart, and for the duration. So, make sure you manage your energy along the way. In high performance, we talk not so much about time management (a constraint), but more energy management (a resource).
Breaking down some high-performance myths
It’s about a laser-like focus on results - Of course, the results are important, but it’s about a laser like focus on the behaviours that will lead to the results. Thus why we lean on behavioural science in much of the work that we do.
Talent wins the cup - You have to embrace the effort required to translate your talent into skills and your skills into achievement.
Failure is not an option - On the contrary, if we take the path of most resistance, we will fail from time to time. Which is where the learning comes from. If you don’t ever fail, are you pushing hard enough? Never give up.
Show no signs of weakness - We all have vulnerabilities. You have nothing to hide. Courage & resilience drive growth. Weak is, in fact, tough.
Motivation is a given - Remember the lazy brain. We need to constantly re-connect to purpose to over-ride normality.
