Today, one of my highest performing clients had another one of his teammates self select out. They quit. They were responding to my client, the head of the system, and his decision to raise the bar on performance. This client doesn’t like losing folks anymore than you or I. He simply understands that he cannot build a high performance system when he is rewarding poor performance. Funny, huh.
Another client, today, told me about the lowest performer in the system in which he’s employed. Everybody knows this person is dragging down the team. The head of the system knows this too. The problem is that this head still suffers from “loss aversion.” He believes that if he holds his team to a performance bar, he too, will have folks head for the exits. He believes that somehow, given enough time and training, his poor performers will turn it around. The head of this system cannot handle poor performers heading for the exits. Funny, huh…
These two stories illustrate why there are so many mediocre systems in the world of work. Few leaders are consistent. Few leaders have overcome their attachment to their poor performers. Few leaders want the acute pain of “no body” in one of their seats. Most leaders simply choose a “warm body” and that’s exactly what they get.
If you are leading any system remember that you too are prone toward loss aversion. Your high performers are watching. What are they seeing?
Tell me more, my friend.
Tell me more…
BUILT TO LEAD 