Session 11 – Managing Performance

In this session, we considered the interplay between managing yourself and the team and managing up, including how to manage performance in the traditional sense. We then moved to considerations of peak performance, effective team relations, and managing performance.

We had a great discussion about mindsets, sleep, having coffee to stay sharp (!), and the importance of managing our own expectations about people’s performance. I also raised the question about diurnal rhythms. This is an individual’s natural rhythm and helps us understand when our energy is the highest and the lowest. Suppose we understand how our body works. It makes it much easier for us to maximise our high energy levels and do mundane other things when our energy levels are lower. You might recall that we spoke about whether you are a morning person or an afternoon or night person because these will impact how you learn to manage your own energy levels.

A significant point was raised about how personal life affects professional life, and the resultant conversation shared the view that it is important to understand if we are happy or unhappy in life, as that affects our professional performance significantly. The assumption is that if we feel good in our personal life, such as our social or family life, it is highly likely that this will positively impact our professional performance. Another consideration is to take a holistic view of your life. Reflecting on this is very worthwhile because the whole person comes to the workplace!

We also discussed the importance of Sleep. It was fascinating to learn that sleep seems to be an issue in APAC and IDC, and it is most certainly in Australia. Sleep, or lack of it, is considered a major health issue. In summary, we covered health, sleep, coffee, and having a happy private life.

When we discussed the considerations for managing performance, there is an interplay between morale, motivation, focus, discipline, and self-care. All these elements come together to enable us to maximise performance. We discussed performance versus pressure, and a graph showed the relationship between performance and pressure, which you all found particularly interesting. From there, we moved into Stephen Covey’s Circle of Control, Circle of Influence, and Circle of Concern. Although the circles are shown as being equal, it is possible for individuals to work on expanding their Circle of Control because, after all these other things that you have control over. Recognising what we can control, what we can influence, and what we can’t influence is particularly useful to help maintain our focus.

We reviewed the symptoms of Stress (physiological, psychological, and behavioural) and delved a little further into Burnout, which impacts our health, attitude, behaviour, and relationships.

We had a great discussion on effective team relationships. We walked through Patrick Lencioni’s Five Dysfunctions of a Team and considered the importance of managing up. From a management perspective, we moved into Managing Performance, where there should be no surprises and ongoing conversations that include coaching and creating connections, redirecting poor performance, and helping stars maintain momentum.

One of the most valuable models in this section was the piece on Hersey and Blanchard’s Situational Leadership Model. It’s been around for many years and is extremely worthwhile to learn. This section also included a brief overview of smart goals, which I understand EE has a Bamboo platform to collect people’s goals. We briefly reviewed the Four Stages Of Performance Management and the Three-Step Approach or the Rule of Three and Leading High Performers.

We then set up the personal leadership brand presentations and reviewed the activity’s expectations again.

Coaching sessions

As we are fast approaching the end of the program, please remember your coaching sessions. They will be available to you until mid-June!