At Our Core

Assuredly, I understand, even endorse, performance based appraisals.  "Sam sold 10,000 units, kept his marketing dollars 5% under budget and improved his margin by 3%.   Sam's a winner!"  Got it.

Too often, however, we focus (either as managers or as contributors) solely on these metrics;    sadly, we neglect the true core of the individual (be it another person or ourselves.)

There must be something in the core of the individual that makes them a valuable asset.   Let me suggest a critical few:   honesty, integrity, loyalty, caring, teamwork, selflessness.   We should recognize and reward these as much as performance.

If we are all about performance metrics, but neglect the core of the individual, we have failed as business leaders and as human beings; while there may be short-term success, the long-term is not promising.

Here's what happens if we neglect our core.   Let's say that Sally is recognized for producing 5,000 widgets a day.   We emphasize over and over again to Sally how valuable she is because she produces 5,000 widgets a day.   Sally buys in completely and recognizes, above all else, how valuable she is because she produces 5,000 widgets a day.       Then, Sally breaks her arm and can't produce any widgets.   Now what happens to Sally's worth in the company?    What happens to Sally's own sense of worth?

Let's say that Sally has a strong core.   She works smartly.   She is honest.   She gets her team through the most difficult of circumstances.    When Sally can no longer produce 5,000 widgets, have we recognized these other strengths (aside from performance metrics) and can we use this valuable person in another, and perhaps more important role?   Can Sally herself recognize the value she brings to the team without production and honor her own commitment to the work and her fellow workers?

I do believe that it is more difficult to manage to a solid core and metrics vs. just the latter.  It is more difficult because it  requires that we make judgments.  It is also more rewarding.     We are not only building stronger  and more versatile teams, but we are also building better team members.

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My book "Courageous Questions, Confident Leaders" is available on Amazon Kindle.