SERIES: Part One of a Four-Part Article

We have ascended into a strange point in time in the history of the planet in respect to organizational effectiveness.

While most organizations boast they seek greatness in what they produce and from their employees, we have actually arrived at a point in time where minimum effort for maximum paycheck and minimum skill asset for maximum rewards has become the condoned norm!

“Great people ascend to a position to which they are functionally incapable of fulfilling, and they, the organization they represent and the individuals they serve and who serve them all become failed.” Known in management as the ‘Peter Principle,’ this is becoming too often an evolution reality in American businesses.

As a performance advocate, you can build systems that will guide both you and those around you to greatness. By crafting a “Profile” assessment for every function within an organization, for every position one seeks and for every credential differentiator, an organization creates in the marketplace.

To create an objective and thorough assessment instrument or “Profile” of performance greatness in an endeavor, consider these EIGHT Models:

1. The “Player Capability Index©” Makes It Very Clear!

A model or formula that can take the subjectivity out of assessing one’s abilities and capabilities, thus allowing an objective, thoughtful and thorough analysis, can be attained through the “Player Capability Index.” This model serves as a guidepost to questions and observations necessary to see the totality of an individual to be hired, transferred, promoted or trained. Consider:

C (T2+A+P) = R

E2

The ‘R’ represents the ‘Results” necessary or desired from any position/function/candidate. In order to get the desired ‘R,’ it is critical that one understand the depth of the ‘C’ (‘Capabilities’) either a position requires or a candidate possesses. To thoroughly understand from where the ‘C’ comes, look into the parenthesis portion of the formula. For example, if you seek a new job or are unemployed and seeking a position, ‘R’ becomes that new position. By thoroughly analyzing these other letters and the totality of what they mean for you on a piece of paper, you will arrive at what you have to offer, and it will become obvious as to whom in your marketplace would see value in that!

The ‘T’ represents ‘Training,’ and the number two represents two interpretations of the ‘T.’ The first interpretation is for exploring the depth of the historical or past tense training one possesses. If the answer indicates one does not have the ‘Capabilities’ to deliver the ‘Results’ needed, there would be a need for ‘addition training,’ which is the second interpretation of the ‘T’ to be fulfilled. The ‘T’ will be matched by the ‘A’ of one’s ‘Attitude,’ which will greatly influence how the ‘T’ is used. To further explore the ‘Capability’ level of a candidate, also look at the ‘P,’ which demonstrates the ‘Performance’ of a candidate. All of this insight will be weighted by two interpretations of the ‘E,’ which represents ‘Expectations.’ The ‘E’ represents both the candidate and the organization or position.

In assessing an individual, there are some areas to consider from within each category of this formula. You can examine personal credentials, resumes, job applications, citations, etc. to objectively measure the depth of training, seminars, symposiums, classes, courses, degrees and certifications represented by the ‘T!’ Consider one’s body language, posture, tone of voice, face inflections, etc. in measuring the degree of the ‘A’ they possess or may possess! Review one’s credentials, past employee reviews, letters of reference, citations, etc. to gauge the level of validated ‘P’ they have experienced; this will aid in benchmarking future expectations. Of course, all of this will be weighed by both parties’ ‘E’ factors, so make sure you ask very candid and direct questions to solicit their level of ‘E’ about you, the team and the organization before entering into a potential relationship!

To further enhance the development of an individual or team, management could use this model as an overlay to present positions and forecasted positions. The model would be used to determine (absent of personalities) what the necessary answers would be for each category within the model for a position itself. ‘R’ would be the net task to be handled by any position and, thus, what the critical ingredients would be for a successful candidate within a position.

2. Industry Certification

Benchmark any existing industry certification for your desired performance application. If there are any certifications offered within your organization or industry, get them and craft your actions around those perimeters. If your are building a “Profile” for performance greatness for your organization, use these preexisting criteria as consideration benchmarks in designing your template.

3. HR Assessment Instrument

If your organization has a preexisting human resource-designed and administered assessment instrument for a given position, use that as a benchmark of minimum “Profile” criteria. Performance enthusiasts will use such instruments – and hybrids of them – on a regular basis (weekly or monthly) to continue performance coaching opportunities, regardless if the organization encourages annual or biannual use – which is indicative of nonperformance-oriented managers that have ascended into would-be leadership positions!

4. Success Assessment Bio

Consider the most successful person you “actually” know in the position or endeavor that you seek. From that person, develop an inverted “L-grid.” Write their name across the top, and within the grid start drafting every descriptive characteristic you know of that lead to their perceived greatness. If you can actually interview them, dig deeper and ask questions to determine what they feel are the characteristics, traits, abilities, skills, etc. that have lead to their greatness. Once you have done a brain dump, return to this comprehensive list. On the outside left of the “L-grid,” for each entry you have written, identify an appropriate identifying label or category for that entry. Now, with these entry categories, you have additional data to consider using in your master “Profile” for performance greatness!

5. Core Competencies Assessment

Based upon what you know are the minimum skills necessary to perform in a position and the expected competencies that the end user expects from someone in a position, draft a list to serve as an additional reference point when crafting a powerful performance “Profile” for greatness within a business or for a sought-after position.

6. Competition Assessment

If there is a means to determine the behaviors and competencies that are used by the number one and number two organizations in the industry you seek, use that gained data as a benchmark in crafting your performance “Profile!”

7. Personal Performance Goal Assessment

Focus on your endpoint. Where do you want to go with this performance measurement? Ensure that from the above insight, if any measurement for greatness is omitted, you will need to build that into your “Profile” for sustained greatness.

8. YIELD MANAGEMENT Performance Review©

In YIELD MANAGEMENT: The Leadership Alternative to Performance and Net Profit Improvement© (by Jeffrey Magee and Published by CRC/St. Lucie Press), a leading graduate management text, a powerful template was crafted from the most consistent performance measurement categories from the leading Fortune 500 organizations’ appraisal instruments. The most common descriptions for sub-section measurement categories were General Performance, Job Applications, Adaptability, Interpersonal Skills, Leadership, Supervisory, Other.

As you can see, the applications of these performance assessment models are explosive, whether being deployed as an introspective of oneself or in assessing others around you. These may serve as a genesis to other assessment considerations in sustaining your performance greatness throughout your professional life. You can use these as guide posts in the interview process, then performance improvement coaching process on an on-going basis, and as a benchmark for exit strategies with non performing players in an organization.

-Dr Jeff Magee
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Businesses have evolved into many inefficient habit patterns that actually hold back their own individuals and teams from peak performance.

Consider the tasks that you and others may be assigned, may assume or work on daily. If you were to evaluate the depth of skill, knowledge, experience and overall ability one has in connection with the tasks, in many instances there would be a radical adjustment to be made.

Think of it this way. If you started your own business and built a team from scratch, you would evaluate all of the tasks needing to be functionally addressed. With that data clearly defined, and maybe even written out, you would begin finding, interviewing and appropriately assigning the tasks that play to each player’s strength index!

The reality in the work place today is that people enter an organization, are led to their assigned workspaces and associated tasks and told to GO!

I see this every day with my Fortune 500 clients, major associations and government agency clients. Managers inherit personnel and never see beyond the surface level of the players’ abilities. Colleagues sit side-by-side for years – decades – and, in some cases, never learn of the true talent depth of the person next to them. Without that talent base being made public, no one benefits from its richness!

Right player, right task, right time, right development, right success, right performance!

 Cultivating performance greatness from within oneself and from others starts with an introspective look at one’s base talent pool. A quick way of determining this depth is by using the decision model alleged to have been used by the great Benjamin Franklin in pursuit of making decisions. For yourself and for each player on your team, take a simple piece of paper, write the person’s name at the top center of the page and draw a vertical line down the middle of the page from top to bottom. Now:

1. In the left side, enter descriptors for the said person: Positives, Attributes, Strengths, Skills, Educational Attainments, Certifications, Accomplishments and Things They are Good at Doing!
2. In the right side, enter all of the descriptors for the said person: Negatives, Detriments, Weaknesses, Specific Lack of Educational Attainments and Things They Stink at Doing!

As a leader, you cannot lead others to greatness if you cannot innately tap into a positive side depth. By weighing the two sides against one another, you should determine the number of entries on a person’s weakness side, and your goal should be to know three to five times more about them on the positive side

To determine the richness of each player that you lead, do this drill for each player on a separate piece of paper or electronic word document. Challenge yourself to greatness by recognizing what others’ greatnesses are. If you are unimpressed with what you know or do not know, let that become the motivator by which you engage each player and ask for their feedback to complete this model.

Individual  success = increased self-esteem = increased motivation = increased passion = increased commitment = increased winners!

To enhance an organization’s performance, routinely list all of the core functions of your organization or business area on separate pieces of paper. Then set those to the side and do the same for each person on your team. With the players’ names and Strength/Weakness Index (Ben Franklin +/- Model) detailed, lay the names on a chart or table, take the stack of functions and place them like your playing cards adjacent to the person best suited for that task, regardless of current positions. When you are done, you will notice where people are overloaded, who needs to be trained for greater performance participation and whether or not you have someone on your team that is a non-performer with no tasks assigned to them. This becomes either a training and development opportunity for the both of your or a termination identifier for that person!

Cultivating performance greatness from all players on a team is the critical factor in the business place today. As the tactical leader, this tool will aid you in determining how best to grow and deploy your people’s assets.