Performance!Everything we do in today's world demands more speed, volume, accuracy, impact and relevance, at a fraction of the price we used to pay during our parents' time. The Boss seem to want the impossible. We end up getting overly stretched and stressed. Everyone is. Morale runs low. The guillotine of restructuring, right-sizing, or whatever you want to call it, is kept hanging just above our necks as the stick for non-performance. Whatever carrot the Boss hangs in front of us doesn't quite do it for us to drive us forward, drive us away from the guillotine. Something is amiss. We just don't buy into the change the Boss is driving as we know at some point it will change again back to what it used to be.
Heraclitus, an ancient Greek philosopher who lived about 100 years before Plato, once said, "the only thing that is constant is change." The only problem, nowadays, is not the change itself but its frequency. It makes us question if we are changing our directions so frequently, surely we don't know where we are going. Every time change happens, we go through anxiety and steep learning curves just to keep our existing jobs. The cynics in us tell us it's just a ploy the Boss plays to keep us on our toes, appear to be "driving strategic changes" (call it doing "work", if you will) and to use it as a reason to put the guillotine above our necks.
Does it really have to be so? Are we really stuck in a rat race that gets us no where? Can there really be no happiness in the corporate world? Can we really motivate ourselves to outperform our peers and even ourselves? But how?
Perception is Reality
Much of what we believe depends on how we perceive things. Things are not always what they appear to be. I know this may sound like I am stating the obvious, but bear with me. The Boss is just another human being, like you and I. It's just that he/she is sitting at the other side of the table, hence having a very different perspective of things.
As much as we don't like to be told, the Boss has to communicate directions of the company to align the people towards a vision. Admittedly some bosses are better managers than others but management requires a specific skill set. One that is not necessarily present in a star performer. A simple example is that your best Sales person will not necessarily become the best Sales Manager. Translating a vision into a set of expected behaviours and expected next actions is not a simple task. One common mistake that many managers do is simply to cascade their objectives down to their subordinates. To the engineers, it's exceedingly difficult for them to imagine how they can contribute in objectives like "Increase EBITDA margin by 5%." Not many managers can relate, let alone translate such high level objectives into something actionable for their people.
The Boss was hired to deliver some desired results for the company. Under tremendous amount of persistent pressure to perform, the Boss can sometimes neglect (or choose to neglect) the softer issues like team morale and our overall wellbeing.
Personal Performance
So, it's really down to us to see how things really are, where we are, why we are here and decide what we can do to drive our personal performance. We will be touching on 3 key issues in this series:1. Having a goal in the company
2. Things to avoid like a plague
3. Things to keep your eyes and hands on
Your Goals
An employment is one that is mutually beneficial to both the employer and employee. The relationship between capital and labour. Horse and carriage. You can't have one without the other. What the employer expects of you is your time and energy to deliver a service. What you expect from your employer is a reasonable compensation and some development for growth. Simple? Not quite.
In most cases (of course there are exceptions), employers know why they've hired you and know what they expects of you, whether or not they have managed to communicate it effectively to you. Other than wanting a higher pay (and more benefits), most people do not know what they want, let alone expect, from the company.
Ask someone if they have a goal in their life? Ask again if they have a personal goal in the company they work for? Very few will have an answer to those questions. At best, they will struggle and tell you that they want personal development, training and opportunities for growth and experiences. But what exactly? What drives you and what do you see you can learn and get your hands dirty on? From whom can you learn? Knowing what you want is just as important as doing the right thing to deliver performance as it gives you a reason and a purpose in doing so.
Sleep over it a night or two. Once you know what you wish to get out this experience called work, you will instinctively know your way around with just some guidance. Once you know what you wish to get out of this company you are working for, you will know which direction you will want to pursue. It makes a difference. Confucius said, "if you don't know where you want to go, it doesn't matter where you end up."
