We hear a great deal from HR and top management clients about the need for greater self-management among employees and we strongly agree, it is indeed crucial for peak performance. By self-management we mean the willingness and skill to proactively manage yourself and your own performance. Effective self-management includes:
Self-awareness: building awareness of your aspirations, values, strengths and weaker areas/blockers through soliciting feedback, reflecting on progress and maintaining a growth mindset;
Self-motivation: taking ownership of one’s performance and working out the best pathways to goal accomplishment, including accountability for achieving high standards;
Self-regulation: understanding and managing your emotions effectively so they don’t become toxic and undermine relationships and your performance; and
Self-improvement: engaging in continuous learning and adaptation, including learning from mistakes and successes and stretching yourself to move outside your comfort zone to learn new, better ways of doing things.
Self-management is important for effective performance, however, is by itself insufficient to drive enduring peak performance. Great, self-managing people don’t just become great on their own; there are two other vital performance ingredients that need to be in place that are often overlooked by organizations:
Supportive team leadership
Team leaders who are supportive are encouragers and coaches who enable people to be at their best by believing in them and removing blockers and barriers to effective performance. Rather than managing by fear, they make people feel important and valued by listening to and empathizing with them, taking their opinions and any concerns into account. They also challenge them to set stretching goals and provide encouragement and recognition to help them progress. However, they also support them when inevitable mistakes and setbacks arise, helping them overcome and learn from these.
A great company culture
Even with highly self-managing people and great first line managers, companies can still lose their best people and fail to create a motivating performance culture if top management and the environment are toxic and drain people’s energy and motivation. Top management in the best performing companies sets an inspiring and meaningful purpose people can easily identify with, ideally one that goes beyond profits and products and inspires people to work hard to make a difference by positively impacting their customers and society.
Leaders in these companies invest in building a great company culture characterized by open communication and candour (including constructive criticism of top management), learning from mistakes, appreciation of diverse styles and opinions, regular updates on progress and recognition of outstanding accomplishments. Thriving cultures are human-centred, compassionate, and energizing. They create conditions for employees to build strong connections within and outside the team, collaborate regularly, develop their skills, progress their career and improve their overall sense of wellbeing.
If you want peak performance from people, don’t simply encourage them to self-manage and leave them to it. Ensure your team leaders are trained, equipped, and rewarded for providing excellent support and building a thriving, motivating culture that inspires and unlocks excellence.
Lead strong teams that have the motivation and capability to achieve sustainable success and thrive in their careers with TalentPredix coaching solutions. Contact us to learn more: info@talentpredix.com
