There's plenty of upside to being a contrarian, until there isn't.
Sometimes, it's worth considering that the popular opinion - the consensus view - may very well be the right view.
All in Performance Management
I've found that when I focus on the idea of the work I'm doing - as opposed to the work itself - I don't quite deliver as well as I could.
I get too caught up in the external, on the trappings than on the content. The key, as I discuss in today's episode, is to let that go and focus instead on the content itself. That's what matters.
There's an allure to the grand strategy, the flourish and ambition behind the work we do. We love the exciting, glamorous and sexy parts, because that gets noticed.
And while those aspects of our work are indeed important, of far more importance is the more detailed, granular executional work, as I discuss in today's episode.
Judging someone's character is a difficult thing to do. A one-off incident or action shouldn't be taken out of context (with a few exceptions) and presumed to represent the entirety of who someone is.
But patterns are different. If the behavior is repeated, if it's recurring, it tells you something. Patterns matter.
The success of whatever we do depends, without question, on our people. It's a cliche but it's true.
So it's important when formulating our teams, to make sure we have the the right "ingredients" in place - not only technically but philosophically. The wrong ingredients will ruin the entire dish, which is the topic of today's episode.
One of the biggest issues with high performance in any team is when folks aren't aligned. This division is a problem not only professionally but at a personal level as well. Resolving any division within a team needs to be priority number one, as I discuss in today's episode.
In business environments, surprises are not a good thing, because the main thing we want is predictability.
And the only way we can ensure predictability is for us to do the work necessary. This means both listening and communicating much more than we do, as I discuss in today's episode.
Today's episode focuses on the one and only fundamental of success - doing the work.
Our role models from the sports to the business worlds understand this. The one commonality amongst all of them is that they've paid their dues. They put in the effort and did what was needed to lay the foundation for their success. If we aspire to that success, we need to do the same.
Today's podcast focuses on the idea of silos within our organizations and teams.
There will always be tensions among different teams and that's actually not a bad thing. It's only bad when we let those tensions stop us from figuring out how to work together. When we truly collaborate, we're able to create great art.
Episode 94. Matters Of Culture
This month's podcasts deal with matters of culture.
In today's episode, I speak to the value of assessing cultural fit when we're bringing new people into our teams, and when we're evaluating the long term impact of existing team members. It's not easy and it's tempting to look at hard metrics, but these soft ones can be the most critical to our success.
This months podcast deals with matters of culture.
In today's episode, I speak to the Sumo concept of Hinkaku - that is, how being a champion is about more than tangible measures of performance. It also has to do with how we behave.
This month's podcasts focus on people, specifically the different aspects to consider when it comes to the talent acquisition, development and management.
Today's episode focuses on the star performer - or rather the need to recognize that, despite the extent of their star qualities, the team is always the most important thing.
This month, I'd like to speak to a few fundamental ideas about how we work and the implications of our behaviors when we work.
Specifically, in today's episode, I speak to the idea of belief, and the fact that it's our belief in ourselves that drives our ability to achieve, excel and become who we truly are.
This month, I'd like to speak to a few fundamental ideas about how we work and the implications of our behaviors when we work.
In today's episode, I talk about our tendency, as we get older, to focus less on what we do well and more on what we don't. It's a curious thing, because it's our strengths that will drive us forward and, therefore, what we need to build on.
This month's podcast closes out the year with my thoughts on the COVID-19 pandemic that's absorbed all of us this year. I'll share my perspectives on how I've assessed this impact and how I interpret its impact going forward.
Today's podcast take on the idea of Work From Home (WFH) and how it's changed many of our views so significantly this year. That said, I also think the idea that it's here to stay is overrated.
This month's podcasts focus on war stories, recounting situations and experiences that were unique, intriguing and (always) educational.
In today's episode, I share a story from my early days in Management Consulting and specifically about working with a partner who, seemingly, liked to talk in riddles. There was, of course, a method to his madness, as I discuss on the show.
This month, the podcast is focused on talent, specifically what we can and should expect of our people, as well as how we evaluate and manage them.
In today's episode, I close out the month by talking about standards and the little compromises we make to accommodate this or that particular team member. It's far better to raise the bar, set our own standards and bring our people with us.
This month, the podcast is focused on talent, specifically what we can and should expect of our people, as well as how we evaluate and manage them.
In today's episode, I discuss a simple way to assess whether a performance problem is solvable or not, and that is to ask, whether it's a problem of content or values. The answer to that questions indicates whether the relationship is worth working on or not.
This month, the podcast is focused on talent, specifically what we can and should expect of our people, as well as how we evaluate and manage them.
In today's episode, I talk about the difficult decision to let capable people go from your organization. People who've grown with you, contributed significantly, and continue to do their work. But, for reason's I discuss, you simply can't keep them any longer.
This month, the podcast is focused on talent, specifically what we can and should expect of our people, as well as how we evaluate and manage them.
In today's episode, I discuss performance evaluations and how the best organizations spend the most time on the hardest aspect of it: managing the talent at the margins.