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The Essence of Competitiveness?

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“The essence of competitiveness is liberated when we make people believe that what they think and do is important – and then get out of their way while they do it.”

Jack Welch – Retired CEO of General Electric

 

“The power of passion is liberated, and results achieved, when we help people to know that what they think and do is important – and then get out of their way while they do it.”

Mike Chitty

People know ‘what they think and do is important’ when it contributes to their success – however they may define it.

How much time do you spend as a manager working with people in your team understanding what matters to them and helping them to connect it with what ‘they think and do at work’?

Great managers help their people to continually develop and refine this narrative – keeping the passion alive – and delivering great results.

 

To laugh often and much;

To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children;

To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends;

To appreciate beauty, to find the best in others;

To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition;

To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Britain Has Got Talent…and the Professional Development of the Progressive Manager

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Well the Apprentice is over for another year.

What TV does the Progressive Manager watch now in the name of professional development?

Try Britain Has Got Talent. Not usually my cup of tea – but watch Paul Potts singing Nessun Dorma.

Notice the body language of the judges as they:

  1. Find out that a car phone salesman is going to sing them opera (This is going to be bad…)
  2. Hear the opening bars of a recording of Nessun Dorma (How bad is this going to be…)
  3. Hear the beauty that comes out in this man’s voice.

If you have ever had any doubts about the importance of reading facial expressions and body language and how it speaks volumes just take 4 minutes to watch this video.

There are so many lessons in this clip alone around passion, talent, self confidence, opportunity and risk taking. Watch it – on the company’s time – and learn.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1k08yxu57NA]

Are you doing ‘what you were born to do’?

More Great Questions to Improve Performance

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In an earlier post – Great Questions for Improving Performance through 121s I offered some questions that have worked well for me in 121s.

Well, here are some more.

  • What could you do which, done really well, would make a real difference to this organisation?
  • What do you need, from me, in order to help you to make your best contribution to the company?
  • What are the things for which I, and the organisation, should hold you accountable?  What should we expect from you?
  • How can we best use your knowledge, skills, passion and interest to help the company develop?
  • Who uses the outputs of your work?  What can you do to make sure that your outputs are well used?

Of course these questions can also work well outside of 121s.  The real point is that only when you start to explore questions like these with each member of your team will you really start to improve communication, teamwork and performance.

And of course the answers to the questions change continually as the business and its environment change – so this needs to be an ongoing and frequent dialogue.

This is the real work of coaching, development and performance management.

The Only Thing I Can Manage

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It has yet to be proven that anyone can really manage anyone else. We can influence, encourage even persuade. But manage?

The only person that we can really manage is ourselves. So next time as a manager you are confronted with a problem start to look for the solution in ever increasing concentric circles – starting from your desk.

The only thing that you can manage is you.

Yet so many managers fixate on managing other people, managing problems and opportunities that they hardly ever consider their own potential for development and change.

  • What changes can you make in the way that you do your work that will help those that work with you to do their best work?Â