Fired Up! » great performance

Be ‘the’ Best vs. Be ‘your’ Best

jforte — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 15:33:08 +0000

I remember back to when my kids played soccer in my town’s youth league. Though we all wanted our kids to play well and make a difference on the team, one parent was obsessed with their daughter being the “best.”

This parent moved her daughter to teams she thought would win, paid for personalized coaching, browbeat coaches to increase her daughter’s playing time – all the signs of a parent living her life through the life of her daughter. There is a great preoccupation of being THE best versus being YOUR best.

What made this particularly poignant is that most days on the way home from the games, this kid would have an emotional meltdown on the way to the car – for all of us to see. She just didn’t want to be the best – she just wanted to play and make a difference. What struck me most was that the daughter was wiser than the mom.

To me there is always more value in being our personal best than being “the best.” Maybe it’s because I’m not a real competitive person. Or maybe because, for me, the only thing in life that really matters is living to our own potential – of living who we really are – done in our best way possible. My standards for me should be in terms of my capabilities, not others’ criteria.

I believe we are each born with unique abilities – unique talents, strengths and passions. Our focus should be to use our life to identify which abilities we have and how to develop them to be happy, successful and impact our world. To be the best is not the same as to be our best.

My job (Chief Performance Officer) has me managing performance for a company – this includes hiring, developing and engaging employees. What stops most employees from achieving their personal best is their lack of understanding about what they have as talents and gifts; they are unaware of their capabilities and constantly look for others to define success for them. Though in a company we can create performance expectations to define performance success, what I really want most from my people is their commitment to achieve their personal best.

At our organization, we focus on hiring the right employees (their natural abilities match those needed to be successful in the job, and they like doing the job), then help them realize their full potential – to add value and make a difference. I want my employees to know what their capabilities are and maximize them.

The only trophy anyone should ever get is one that applauds them for reaching their potential. If we all strived to reach our potential, there would be more “winners” in life and less of a regard for “superstars.” After all, each of us has superstar abilities just waiting to be discovered and lived. And being “the” best doesn’t mean you achieved “your” best.

A Thanksgiving State of Mind

jforte — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 10:19:31 +0000

Another tough year. And I hear it from many people, “what do I have to be thankful for?” Lost jobs, lost houses, lost this, lost that. But there have always been tough times and there will always be tough times; no one ever said life would be easy.

I used to think that if you were good, bad things would not happen to you. Seemed reasonable – you should be rewarded for being good. Then, after lots of years of the planet, I realized that is not how it works. Instead, life just happens – and it brings some easy times and some tough times. The same way weather brings beautiful days and powerful storms. It just happens – it is part of nature… it is part of life.

But here is what we need to remember. As things happen, they are neither good nor bad; how we perceive them and how we choose to handle them, is what determines the good or bad. We choose to see each event as a means to something better or as a defeat. We choose to use each event to learn, get better and come out stronger or complain, check out and give up. We choose to be grateful or ungrateful. Events just are. How we respond comes from our state of mind. Optimism is a state of mind. Thanksgiving is a state of mind.

I do a lot of business coaching. And in today’s recession, much of my coaching focuses on helping organizations optimistically approach their work environments to invent, find and implement opportunities. Ordinary companies complain about how tough things are; they spend their days whining about the recession and how it has made things worse. These organizations find it very difficult to find opportunities for growth or success. They choose not to see them. Extraordinary companies always focus on seeing value, finding opportunities and remaining optimistic. The use the tough times to regroup, redefine and restructure to come out stronger and more focused. They envision success. They respect, appreciate and are grateful for their employees and customers. They have a thanksgiving state of mind.

Life is as it is. Nature is as is. We get what we get – but we have an amazing resiliency to respond. And it first starts with an attitude of optimism, energy, gratitude and thanksgiving.

• Do I appreciate what I have, who I am and my ability to make choices?
• Do I realize that life happens and it is up to me to make it great (and there is always something good in every circumstance – I just need to get better at finding it)?
• Do I realize that great events let me catch my breath, laugh and love so I have the energy and strength to handle tough events that require more effort, more thinking and more resolve?

This week we celebrate a “day” of Thanksgiving. Yes, I look forward to celebrating with family and friends on a day we have carved (I had to say that) out as a formal day of gratefulness. But I won’t forget that thanksgiving is really a state of mind, and as such, should guide my daily outlook and approach. Join me. Make “giving thanks” your state of mind.

You Can’t Shrink Your Way to Greatness

jforte — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 10:58:42 +0000

This is classic Tom Peters wisdom. In fact, no one says it better than he so here goes, “If your strategy is to lie low, do your job, follow instructions, and hope nobody notices you, (a) nobody will ever notice you, and (b) you are actually increasing the chances of something bad happening. If, on the other hand, you develop a reputation as the person who is always pushing the envelope, challenging the organization to go to the next level, and using your influence to get good stuff done, you’ve got the world’s best job security.” This is from the chapter (written by Tom Peters), “What, Exactly, Are You Afraid Of,” in the great book, The Big Moo, edited by Seth Godin.

Today, it is time to show up, step up and stand out in the workplace. In a down economy, if you look to hide, they will find you and downsize you…because you aren’t adding great value.

But if you look to visibly make a difference – know the needs and direction of the company and add great value – know the needs of customers and respond in an extraordinary way – then there is room for you. You are a contributor. You are a value builder.

Show up ready to make a difference. Step up to bigger things by working in areas that use your talents and strengths. Stand out by contributing true value – value from the company’s perspective. Fired Up! employees never shy away, hide or go unnoticed – they are focused on greatness. Commit today to create and live a “Get Fired Up! Plan.”

Thank You Friday for Managers

jforte — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 12:25:01 +0000

Today, I am thankful for employees who do more than just show up for work. Today, I will remember to catch my employees doing something great and applaud them for it – because everyone likes to be noticed and appreciated. Today, I will appreciate my employee, and start a habit of regularly appreciating their contribution, innovation and effort.

Job Seekers – good news

jforte — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 14:20:18 +0000

More and more of my work is now involving job seekers. To find and get the right job, it starts by knowing yourself. Be able to answer these three statements, then present them on your resume, and you’ll stand out.
1. Here is what I am great at and passionate about doing. (My talents and how I fit)
2. Here is how I use what I am great at. (How I perform)
3. Here is how I made/make a difference. (How I add value)

Hiring managers want to know these three things; moreover, they want to see that you know what you are great at, what you are passionate about, how you use what you are great at in the workplace, and how it all creates value. Provide this, you’ll stand out and get hired. See the full resource above for more information.

Talents, Performance, Fit and Value

jforte — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 22:17:43 +0000

Hiring managers need help from job seekers; they want job seekers to understand what a hiring manager must have to properly determine job seeker fit for a job. They don’t want resumes on colored paper, movie tickets, pictures of yourself, offers to wash their car or babysit their kids. Instead, what they need most is a resume that presents your talents, performance, fit and value. That gives them what they need to make the right decision. That is all they want.

Hiring managers – demand what you need from job seekers. Require them to submit the new talent-based resume (see the new format above under the Job Seeker link). This makes your job easier, clearer and more conclusive. It requires them to send you a resume with the critical information you need to make a good decision. This improves your ability of hiring the right employee and to fire the employee up!

“Stand Out and Get Hired” – my new resource to help job seekers define their talents, determine which jobs need their talents and create a powerful talent-based resume to apply for jobs that are a good fit – will be available in the next two weeks on this site. Stay tuned – and get your copy. This will make job seekers’ and hiring managers’ lives easier.

Stay Focused on Performance

jforte — Fri, 29 May 2009 15:17:10 +0000

A down economy is no time to step away from igniting great performance from your employees; it fact, in this period of doing more with less, every employee needs to contribute in a more significant way. Great results come from engaged, enthusiastic and high performing employees. These employees are connected to performance – they are good at what they do and are passionate about doing it. They work in jobs that make them feel capable, confident and competent. This is the key to their performance and the key to your success.

Attracting, hiring and retaining high performing employees are the responsibility of today’s managers. Gone are the days of one-size-fits-all jobs – of any employee will do in any job. Today, employees’ performance is based on their job fit. Today’s employees want to work in high performing cultures; they want to work in roles that match their talents, interests and values. They want a strong and professional relationship with their managers. And when this happens, they perform and stay. And today, you need the best performers.

What Kind of Performance Do You Have?

jforte — Sun, 10 May 2009 18:29:11 +0000

I see it over and over again – average or lousy employee performance. I see it because I am a customer and those who wait on, provide service to, cash me out, answer questions or help me are so disconnected from what they do. Great performance requires that employees are connected – intellectually (they are good at what they do) and emotionally (they are passionate about what they do). When both are in place, you have a maxperformer – a super performer. When not in place, you have an average performer who aggravates your customers and costs you money.

Now that you know the two components, start to watch wherever you go. See the average performers and notice that they are in jobs that don’t make sense for them, or they hate what they do. Either way, you lose. Ignite your employees performance by learning how to hire the right ones (intellectual connection) and then engaging them with high-energy, customized roles (emotional connection). This process is spelled out in a step-by-step process in Fire Up! Your Employees and Smoke Your Competition. Download some chapters to see its process. Purchase your copy now and get your employees Fired Up! – instead of Fizzled Out.