Venting

Though I'm the energizer bunny for my family, friends and colleagues, it was so helpful to be able to tell a trusted colleague and friend that I wished that my next command performance wasn't on my agenda.  Immediately, I felt better.  This serves as a helpful reminder that sometimes we just need to vent.

Top and Bottom Performers May Look Alike

We just saw and immensely enjoyed a movie that our local film critic had rated 1 on a 5 star scale.  We found the entertainment value to be close to 5 stars.  If you average our ratings you get 3 stars.  This is a prime example of how meaningless average ratings can be when there are only two raters, and the absolute ratings are at the top and bottom of the scale.

It would be far more meaningful to know that two raters gave absolutely different assessments, and understand why.

Too Many Promotions

A friend who recently retired from a large corporation shared the funny, but sad observation that once an individual reaches a certain level, the only way he or she can be fired is to throw up on the chairman or make a $1 unauthorized company credit card expense. 

Regardless of present fit for the job, with so many supporters and promoting managers throughout the individual's career, a current manager is hesitant to risk being the one to announce that the emperor has no clothes.  He or she doesn't want to risk alienating colleagues who have previously promoted the under-performing individual.

It's savvy to be sensitive to our colleagues.  But it's costly for performance, productivity, profits and morale when we fail to replace ineffective managers.

Encouraging High Performers

Those who are driven to excel, don’t always get the encouragement they actually need, because they appear self-sufficient.   Sometimes they need encouragement to take high level of performance to the next level, but don’t get it because others fail to realize that high performers need reinforcement, too.

Annual Exams

Annual anxiety-laden exams are part of life at every education level.  Many business professionals would contend that annual performance appraisals continue this exam tradition.  And we need an annual health exam to maintain optimal health.

Each annual exam provides a chance to assess how we are doing.  When we are feeling extremely confident about our performance, we are eager to be assessed.  However, we most need this constructive feedback when we are not meeting expectations.

Annual exams are a minimum frequency expectation.  We need to continually assess how we are doing.

How We Measure Success

I enjoy Scrabble and have convinced myself that the mental exercise is good for me.  Because I'm achievement oriented, I started tracking my scores this year.  I've played and won 67 games since January.  By the pure win/loss measurement, I'm doing great at 100%.  However, I established a different threshold for my success.  I've been tracking the percentage of my scores that are 300 points or more.  When I made my goal tougher, my success rate fell to just over 80%.  But, I've become a better player by continually challenging myself.

When something becomes too easy for us, we sometimes need to raise our expectations.  Often, improved performance will result.

Performance Assessments

Some think I'm weird because I look forward to performance appraisals.  Though I am fortunate to receive consistent positive feedback during the year, formalizing the review process provides a way to document accomplishments.

Ideally, we'd all provide consistent, timely feedback for our associates, colleagues, friends and bosses.  Life, work and time constraints intervene...

Yes, annual assessments provide an official record of our performance.  Episodic email, face-to-face and social media praising of accomplishments amplify our impact.

Peak Performance for High Achievers by John Noe

In Peak Performance for High Achievers by John Noe, the author poses 10 questions to help you decide if you have what it takes to become a high achiever:
1. Do you really want to become a high achiever? (A key to self-discipline is desire.)
2. Do you have a strong inner urge to reach out? (The urge to create, to achieve, to reach out is like a compressed spring inside the high achiever.)
3. What matters most to you?
4. What are you willing to invest? (High achievement requires an enormous amount of energy, time, effort and commitment.)
5. How much are you willing to endure?
6. What are you willing to give up?
7. How much responsibility are you willing to assume?
8. Are you willing to start where you are?
9. Are you willing to think for yourself?
10. Are you willing to settle for nothing less than your full potential?

If you have the raw material, John Noe shares the six basic attitudes that you must adopt to realize your ultimate potential:
1. High achievers make no small plans.
2. High achievers are willing to do what they fear.
3. High achievers are willing to prepare.
4. High achievers are willing to risk failure.
5. High achievers are teachable.
6. High achievers have heart.

He says it is this simple: If you want to become a successful salesperson, you must make the daily calls necessary for making sales. Most successful salespeople, he says, have learned that it takes a lot more than simply having a good product to be successful. They know it requires working long hours, carefully planning everything they do, and preparing themselves to be the best salesperson they can possibly be. Then, with a good product, they can become successful.