High Performance Leadership

Some people measure quantify first and quality later. Some people measure money first and impact to the team later (not even second!). How you measure productivity might determine your character and your reputation. Put people first.  -- doug smith

Peter Drucker famously said "What gets measured gets done." Have you noticed how true that is? As high performance leaders we must take care to measure the right things because if we measure (and reward) the wrong things, we'll get more of what we don't want. What we want are the results of our goals. What we want are positive experiences for our customers and profitability for our organization. In any environment there are things worth measuring and things better left unmeasured. If we want to create a collaborative team that is energized by working well together, we need to measure levels of cooperation, NOT levels of competition. Don't set up a contest that forces your team members to compete against each other if you expect them to help each other. Don't reward people who do the most of anything unless that anything can be fairly accomplished. Keeping score doesn't guarantee that you're counting the right things. What you measure should imp...

What happens when you set a metric target for your people? They'll do their best to achieve it. That's what you want. But, the thing to be careful of is setting an unrealistic target that requires "extraordinary" means to achieve. And, by extraordinary, I mean cheating. Not everyone will cheat. Fortunately, most people will do their best without cheating. But there are some who will find a way to game the system unless you pay attention to the how as well as the what of your target. Be careful about how you measure success to avoid tempting people to game your system. There's not much point in getting upset -- it makes more sense to get vigilant. What people achieve matters, and so does how they achieve it. --- Doug Smith Front Range Leadership:  High performance leadership training doug smith training:  how to achieve your creative goals

How do you measure your results? For those of us in sales, the answer is simple (yet probably incomplete) - revenue. But there's more. For those of us in operations the answer is also easy (and also incomplete) - reducing expenses. That probably includes doing what you do faster, better, and cheaper. Whatever your job, and in whatever field - for profit or not-for-profit, your organization is directly impacted by five key measures. Five financial levers that determine the health or struggles of your team. Revenue - the money you bring in. Gloriously, this number is unlimited. Expenses - managing the money that you spend to stay in existence and produce what you do. Customer Happiness - more than satisfaction the best organizations determine how they can delight their customers and bring joy into their lives. What better way to create repeat business? Team Member Happiness - because happy team members are productive team members and tend to stay with your team much lon...