So what are the proven performance boosting techniques that you can adopt, particularly in these lean times, to effect a resurgence in your team’s performance?
Nothing can get you as much exceptional performance right now as building a culture of positive competition within the team. How does this work?
First, you must understand that culture inspires any team more than cash rewards and there is a limit to the amount of cash you can give anyway. While it is good to reward performance in cash or kind the motivational effects of such rewards is more or less linear. However you can achieve geometric productivity effects by employing a shared aspirational culture.
So how exactly can you achieve a culture of positive competition?
First, you need to inspire a sense of community and urgency within your team immediately. If your team members cannot see themselves as being critical to the continued survival of the business right now, it is dangerous. If they do not see themselves as critical stakeholders in the progress and the future of the company right now, I can bet they would only be doing their jobs perfunctorily. If you have not been doing so prior, now is the time to have that all-important one-on-one session with every subordinate and re-sell them the organization’s vision and their own peculiar place in that future. You must be inspirational.
Second, dutifully employ open performance score comparison among staff with similar duties. If you want to get this right you must do it as often as weekly. Individuals who are better than the others even if by just few degrees would be celebrated so passionately as though they scored an “A”. This will lift even the poorest performers up a few notches and create some measure of competition that then raises performance level across boards. No one ever wants to be the butt of class jokes remember.
One other thing you can do is to make an exclusive offer. This is to be applied when you have seen the energy and much-needed up-tick in performance. The intent here would be to get every staff jostling for a single (very scarce opportunity). It could be an offer of double promotions or a school-long scholarship for the wards of the qualified staff or even something else that is incredibly valuable.
Lastly, you must lay out in detailed manner the implications of being the laggard within your team. By applying the first three techniques described above. I am optimistic you can get performances up substantially. But I would still admit that nothing inspires some staff as much as the fear of consequences. Right now is the time to sing the implications of poor performances as a song. Let people know what’s coming if they do not live up to expectations. Don’t leave them in doubt.
I hope this has helped you in some ways.
When revenue team performance is optimal, revenue ALWAYS go up.
