Performance cultures are driven by the need to improve performance. Country Club cultures;not so much. Country clubs care about how you look, how you dress, making you feel good, and all kinda other political bullshit. Performance cultures are all about your performance, improving your performance, and doing it the right way. Performance cultures are focused on performance and oftentimes are kinda hard and harsh. They are after something good, however. Performance cultures are real and raw on our way to getting better, even if it hurts. Perform in a performance culture and you’re gonna get hurt; oftentimes on purpose. Yesterday, during practice 116 there was some acute pain as we learned the difference between being bullied, bullshit, and built. Performance cultures care enough to bring the pain. Funny, huh.
Performance cultures do not bully people into performing, nor do they bullshit people about their performance. Performance cultures swim in truth. Performers seek truth about their performance and leaders love them enough to give them the unvarnished truth in LOVE. The aim is to build. Performance cultures build better performers which leads to better performance. This all sounds good. The reality is it hurts acutely to build and allow yourself to be built. Few seek the kinda feedback that can change them for the better. Few care enough about their teammate to hit ’em with the unvarnished truth.
BTL practice builds performance cultures. If you’re gonna be a part of one, you better build some callouses – you’re going to need them. Performance cultures, you see, are TOUGH and tender. Sometimes the ratios feel wrong even though they are right. You’re gonna get hurt. Sometimes on purpose. Sometimes not. Sometimes your pain is an unintended consequence of your leader pushing you to the brink of your panic zone. Sometimes your pain is the result of a less than virtuous leader with good intentions and less than spectacular execution. Sometimes your pain is simply Y.O.U. being a bit too sensitive.
The world is full of country club cultures. BTL builds performance cultures. You are blessed if you’re being built in one of them. Good? Yeah, we’re good.
Good.
BUILT TO LEAD 