Performance or Learning – idealism or best practice??

I was recently reading Dan Pink�s new (-ish) book, Drive, and came across some amazing research that typifies human behaviour.� Pink cites the scientist Carol Dweck from Stanford University and her study has taken an

intriguing look at how we approach outcomes from our endeavours.

Dweck says that we tend to focus on either performance goals (get an A in the poetry exam) or learning goals (get a thorough understanding of poetry and learn as much as possible about it).� Dweck gave school children a set of scientific principles to learn and set half of them a performance goal and half a learning goal.� And here�s what happened�..

Performance goals were great at getting people to perform well at relatively straight-forward problems in a particular context, but not so good for getting people to apply the knowledge in a different setting.� Learning goals, however, enabled students to apply their new-found knowledge in different contexts to solve different problems.

Isn�t that what we need to do in today�s workplace?

Challenging our status quo

It is with this (and many other) studies in mind that I continually question the effectiveness of our current reward system in the workplace.� I would say the vast majority of people engage in work from the point of view that it will get them x.� Very few probably approach their work with the objective of getting better and learning all they can about it � how to improve, be more efficient, apply their knowledge to help customers in a different context��you get the picture.

The problem is our ingrained theory of performance for the people we manage.� Have people lost the ability to respond to the sort of incentive that values learning and internal motivation above external rewards?� I don�t think so; but they are becoming de-sensitised to it in the workplace.

Less noise leads to more connections

More and more is being proven about the positive effect that tranquil environments have on our mental performance.� In a recent study, it was found that calming environments cause an increase in the number of brain regions that connect with each other � something which has been shown to greatly boost out cognitive performance and lead to inspired, creative thinking.

The physiology is simple.� We get �stuck� in a thinking rut when there is only one region of our brain that is active.� You have experienced this when you have been trying to solve a problem � or trying to remember the words to a song � when you keep thinking along the same track and are unable to get that train of thought out of your head��.you keep thinking of the same (wrong) lyrics or the same (wrong) solution.

Slow down so you can hear

However, when you allow your brain to slow down, you begin to �hear� the activity that is going on in the other regions of your brain � this is what leads to �breakthrough ideas� as you connect memories and prior knowledge to the current problem you are trying to solve.� When you remember the words to that pesky song, you no doubt start to visualize where you were (listening to the visual cortex) and maybe even what you were doing (listening to the motor cortex), and – BAM! -� you remember the words to the song.

Now, think about how valuable this ability is.� Wouldn�t you like to capitalize on this whenever you need to?� Well, the problem with most work environments is that they just don�t allow this to happen.� The constant stress that is imposed by time or poor managers or an overly-heavy focus on outcomes decreases our chances of this actually happening.� In fact, the more stress that we are exposed to, the narrower our focus and our thoughts become.

So think about the work environment that you create as a manager.� Or, on an individual level, think about the amount of time you give yourself to kick back and be calm.� Not only is this good for decreasing our general stress response � the science tells us that it will also lead to breakthrough ideas and clearer thinking.

If you want to really switch off, then you need to shut down all electronic interference at least 2 hours before bed.� The emittedlight has been shown to keep us �wound up� and possibly cause insomnia.

All those dependent gadgets including ipods, iphones, ipads, blackberrys and even the television can have a devastating effect on our brain activity when we’re trying to unwind. �The light that is emitted from these devices tends to fire up our neural connections when what we should be doing is winding down.

For best results finish up using these at least 2 hours before trying to get to sleep. �Try an old-fashioned book to disengage your brain from the day’s work.

For the rest of the performance habits, click here

Round and round and round……

Work.� It�s a necessity and for some people a passion, for others a bore.� But one thing is abundantly clear: if you feel like you are spinning your wheels all the time, it will not be as enjoyable � nor will you be performing at your peak.

Everyone seems to have a never-ending to-do-list and no matter how hard they work they just can�t seem to get it completely ticked off.� While it�s good to be busy, the fact that there is no end of the to-do-list in sight is a de-motivator for most people.� The simple truth is there will always be more things to do at work because that is the nature of work � the job is there forever in some way, shape or form (assuming the company doesn�t go broke).

The problem with the never-ending to-do-list

Unfortunately for us �tick-a-box� junkies, having a never ending list of things stops us from having any sense of progress.� There is enough research to suggest that making progress is one of the key drivers of engagement and motivation.� But if there is no end in sight, then progress will not be very clear.� If you ran a marathon you can understand when you will reach the end, but if someone just said �run� and you didn�t know where or for how long, your motivation�s going to wane pretty darn quickly.

The other benefit of being able to see light at the end of the tunnel is the �goal-gradient effect�.� Put simply, we tend to speed up and gather momentum as we get closer to achieving our goal.� Again, with no end to the goal, chances are that you will just keep moving at your regular pace.� And I am sure that that regular pace will get slower and slower and slower���

So, what to do?� Well, it�s hard, but you have to be a bit easier on yourself.� You have to be truly realistic about what is achievable on any given day and any given week, and take into account all that time that you are in meetings and training when you plan it.� Use this context to set a �real� going-to-do-today list and have fun checking off the boxes as five o�clock approaches.

‘Things to do’ does not equal status

Having an enormous list of things to do that will never get done is not a status symbol � it�s a poor waste of time and shows an inability to prioritise � whether you are talking about work tasks or prioritising time outside of work.

Be easier on yourself with respect to workload, be tougher on yourself when it comes to discipline.

We hate working late, but we keep on doing it
I see so many executives who complain that they have to work until late four or more nights a week and that they are missing out on the best times with their families and friends. This is what they say, but���.they keep on doing the very thing that they are complaining about � working late. They�ve been doing it for years and chances are they are going to keep doing it for years to come.

Is it possible to get out of this cycle? The answer is yes, but it will take some discipline and, more than anything, some absolute honestyabout why you are doing what you are doing.

First things first � set some goals
We are great at setting goals in our work lives, but relatively bad at applying the same principles to our �other� life. But goals are useful in every context, so why not have them for the things that probably matter the most to you? What about a goal for the type of father/mother/husband/wife/brother etc that you want to be? What about a goal that tells you how you want your kids to grow up and what you want your relationship with your spouse to be like?

We tend not to do this, because these goals are often fluffy and non-specific. But I will tell you this: they can still have a powerful ability to shape your behaviours.

Set some processes
Once you have set your goals around your �other� life, then it is time to get more specific. To understand how you get to the end result, it is important to understand the daily or weekly behaviours that need to be executed in order to achieve it. That might be leaving work at 5.30pm two nights a week, or dropping the kids to school once a week. Whatever these behaviours are, they will be readily identifiable as things that help you get close to what you really want. Because you are time-poor, they have to be �bang-for-buck� behaviours � things that will really make a difference. You�ll see that these things are measurable and therefore the business-thinkers among you will be more comfortable with having something concrete to hang your performance on.

Finally�..be brutally honest
The number one thing that will stop you from executing your behaviours and achieving the things you strive for will be a lack of honesty. Every time we choose a behaviour, we are effectively prioritising that behaviour over something else. I might choose to stay in bed instead of get up and go for a run, or I might choose to drink fresh juice instead of coffee tomorrow morning.

The science tells us that the thing we choose is the one that produces the most dopamine in our brains � that is, the thing that is most interesting and important to us at that point in time. So when you choose to stay at work instead of going home, you are effectively saying:

�Right now, work is more important than my family�.

Now, sometimes that will be true. Work might be out of control and you might have already spent enough time with your family and friends this week. But the key, again, is honesty. Is work honestly more important at this point in time?

If you can continually ask, and answer, this question effectively then you will always know when to stay back and when to go home.

This is probably a skill you use to great effect elsewhere in your life. Why not apply it here as well?