Twenty years of NY resolutions along the line and I’ve finally started having bass guitar and tennis lessons, though not at the same time. “Foot-work, body-work, racket-work,” bellows my coach. At the net, as I try not to look too puffed out, he says with conviction: “performance not outcome. The shots will come if you get the stages right.”
Of course in any learning or development context, it’s important to have an outcome in mind and to establish milestones, targets and KPIs along the way. It’s also a great idea to focus on the benefits of achieving the goal, for you and other people. The more compelling the vision, the more motivated you will be, the greater the chance of success.
However, in education and elsewhere, there can be too much emphasis on the end result: “I’ve got to get a 2 or else I’ll be re-observed”, “I must get 3BBBs”, “We must reach college benchmarks or else the VP will be on my case”. These demands can create fear and hinder the discovery of effective strategies to attain and sustain the desired results.
Let’s be clear – having high standards and clear goals is a good thing and probably a pre-requisite for high performance. However, just as positive thinking is a good thing, looking in the mirror and saying, “I’m a tiger”, or “I will be a millionaire” are not going to make you irresistible or deliver a lorry load of money to your bank account.
Individuals, teams and organisations work towards challenging targets and there are job descriptions, strategic goals, outcomes for learners, lesson observation grades, sales targets and other quantifiable barometers of ‘success’. Important and necessary as they all are, we also need to create working environments and cultures that are founded on innovation, collaboration and continuous improvement. An imbalance towards targets over performance can lead to stress, burnout and in some instances, unethical behaviour.
The highly acclaimed psychologist and educationalist Dr. Carol Dweck identifies two mind-sets, one conducive to learning and development and one associated with having a fixed and deterministic view of the world. Her work is ‘all over’ the internet and her most recent book, ‘Mindset: How you can fulfill your potential’ is highly acclaimed.
The most effective teachers teach people, not just subjects and towards summative assessment. They understand that stretch and challenge is for all students and employ interactive, evidence based teaching methods.
The most effective managers have a range of strategies to manage day-to-day operational issues. Crucially, they also employ ways to developmentally and remedially manage individuals and facilitate collaboration amongst team members.
Sir David Brailsford, GB Cycling Coach
Teachers, support staff, managers and senior leaders can learn the skills, knowledge and attitude required to improve their own and other people’s performance. The questions below can be used to kick-start a focus on performance.
In each of the boxes below, write Y = (Yes, on most occasions), or N = (Not consistently)
The following links were helpful in compiling this think-piece:
http://www.howtolive.com/focus-on-process-not-outcome/#ixzz2wW9IBLiM
http://iveybusinessjournal.com/topics/leadership/learning-goals-or-performance-goals-is-it-the-journey-or-the-destination#.UysFB9ztia4