When it comes to measuring productivity in business, I’ve certainly had my share of doing this for decades. Did I enjoy doing this? No, I honestly didn’t, but it was a requirement, and it did provide me and others with reference about how our performance was trending.
Was I good at doing this type of work? Yes, but that didn’t make it any more fun. It also didn’t inspire me to want to do this other than because I was required to do so. Although from time to time, I’ll admit there is some satisfaction understanding and appreciating that the work you are doing is successful in terms of the metrics you are being judged on.
As a society, and in my opinion, we tend to over measure just about any category you can think of. For people who are hyper competitive, they love this! Although the reality is that much of our society doesn’t enjoy the same thrill that competitive people do when it comes to measuring performance. These people understand it is often necessary, but given the choice, they would likely opt not to have to think about, perform or convey the results if they didn’t have to do so.
Of course, I understand there are certain industries which measuring productivity is critical, and could in fact provide life or death information, but in most circumstances, this isn’t the case. So, why are some people so focused on measuring performance? Part of this has to do with having an obligation to report their information to others, while in some cases it is a point of pride to appreciate, they are making progress, or not.
Knowing you are making progress is a healthy way and reason for measuring productivity in business and on sports teams. However, when it feels overly burdensome, and isn’t serving a wider audience well, it’s at this point when what is being measured should be reconsidered in terms of its usefulness.
The good news is that there will be performance measures which become obsolete, while simultaneously new ones are emerging. In the context of business and sports teams, I have seen mental health becoming a topic which was once not discussed openly, taking a more prominent role in terms of this being a consideration for productivity measurement. I’m not suggesting there is currently a perfect way to measure this from my perspective, but the fact there is becoming a heightened awareness of why and how this should be measured is reassuring.
The fact that we understand that quality mental health levels contribute to the effectiveness of individuals and a team, and that we need to pay attention and can impact this concept of mental health positively is trending in the right direction. As I previously noted, the fact our society is more openly discussing the criticality of having strong mental health supports having a foundation. One which can impact this concept when measurements for it are sending out warning signs. In terms of how mental health is measured is an entirely separate topic, and worth recognizing that work and sports teams are doing a better job of supporting this as a performance measurement factor. Are both areas doing this perfectly? Far from it, but like anything that’s “new”, it is in an evolutionary stage which is favorable.
So, in terms of what categories of measurements are important, I would suggest that both physical and mental health be at the top of this list. Without strong health in each of these areas, everyone suffers, and everyone can also benefit when these two areas are properly given the attention they require. I’ve seen a number of work and sports teams not know how to address the mental health side measurement, and what the impact has been on them when they don’t proactively sort out how to both measure and manage this.
Another category which I have strong feelings about, is the aspect of personal and professional development. When each of these categories are being attended to in terms of advancement and growth, you will find that the people experiencing this are much more engaged, happy and that their personal and professional performance metrics are quite favorable. Some people think that the investment in these areas needs to be quite steep. This isn’t the case, although there is a saying “You get what you pay for.”
Don’t misinterpret what I am suggesting, as I also am aware that there are plenty of affordable options for pursuit in each of these areas, and leaders and sports coaches simply need to be a little more creative. Or they need to be willing to make the investment they can afford. Either way, it’s a win, win situation, with the caveat that the participants need to be fully invested themselves in wanting to take their performance to the next level. If they are not, we each know what the results will be.
Having an ability to feel like your contributions to either a work or sports team can make the experience of being on them either rewarding or defeating. I’m certain you would agree which of these options is preferable, but oddly, there are some people who seemingly either don’t realize they have the power to choose and opt into the preferable category. Some of this of course has to do with their attitude, and although this is a potentially subjective category to measure, it’s an easy enough one to appreciate and evaluate whether an individual’s attitude is good, or not. If it’s not, factor in whether this is a temporary, circumstantial, or chronic way they present themselves. The latter one needs to be addressed, and not ignored, although some leaders seemingly find it easier to hit the “ignore button”, but this never offers a satisfying long-term solution.
Below are some practical areas you can consider measuring. The intent of them is to offer you an understanding that you are on your way to having a system of measurement which can objectively support your performance requirements as either a leader, sports coach or individual.
- Communication effectiveness is talked about frequently, and more often you hear about how either an organization, leader or individual doesn’t communicate well, and this frustrates and can cause damage in numerous areas.
- Clear paths for advancement are a desirable offering, but interestingly, these paths are not always made to be obvious, or clearly articulated when they should be.
- Balance is something we can easily feel we are either in or out of. Curiously though, we are not all taught how to strike a balance, and whether this applies to work/sports/life. When we are out of balance, having tools or a method or an understanding of how to attain this will be beneficial.
- Contribution satisfaction isn’t something typically measured, but if you were to ask someone to tell you how “satisfied” they are with their own performance, they will likely pick a number which skews towards representing a number which is higher than how they feel. This can help you to gauge what their satisfaction number could be.
- Asking someone whether they feel they are being impactfully supported in their role can reveal opportunities for whether a person is a flight risk, and an opportunity to address this.
- Being misunderstood is a frustrating feeling. Having the ability to gauge and measure a person’s level of whether they feel they are generally understood by either their leader or sports coach is going to provide critical insight into several different performance categories. Simply asking someone “in general” do they feel they are understood is going to offer volumes of new insight and can open useful and new conversation paths.
When I think about performance or any type of measurement (e.g., is it practical), I take comfort in knowing that if you measure the right areas, and not always the traditional ones, you will have a new lens as a leader and sports coach into areas which will have a more positive impact on the outcome of your team’s performance.
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