VBI revs up (just over a week til kick off)...are your people revved up to improve?

So, I’ve been a little blog-shy, but that’s just the day job taking over and some external coaching qualification I’m working towards.  I blogged last time about ALWAYS-ON COACHING and that’s something I’ve been doing since the last blog.

Thanks also to Cris for his provocative follow up on averageness.  There’s something I sense about a movement in the workplace which is around yesterday’s performance levels, just aren’t good enough for tomorrow – we all need to upping a notch so average now = below par future.  John McGurk's Apprentice blogs are proving people aren't learning to improve - Melissa Cohen point in case.

But that brings me onto the topic of this blog – revving up to brilliance or more delicately put learning how to improve.  We hear it time and again about people “they come in, do their hours, what more can I ask?”  Well I think there are 2 questions for all line managers and therefore for development professionals to be asking: -

·         What do those “Steady Eddie’s” DO in those hours which is either newly acquired/learned knowledge or behaviours that shows their focus on improvement?  and

·         When was the last time you were interested in what they did in their “hours” and helped them think about where they can get more excitement, reward and energy from their job - which in turn should lead to improved performance, morale and customer satisfaction?

So I think it is incumbent on us all to keep the wheels turning.  After all, the customer expectations; world of technology; economic pressures and more don’t stop, they ratchet up all the time.  So therefore why should someone coming in and doing their “hours” justify a lack of attention?

I sense a push to learning as more of a commodotised, valued, measured objective.  I hear of a successful US company who have reframed ALL their performance objectives thus “To Learn ________ in order to ___________” so learning is explicitly valued but also showing what that activity leads to.

I’ve encouraged ALL of my coaching clients of late to respect and harness any reflective time they have.  In fact, some of my coaching sessions have been reflective commentaries, focusing then on what’s been learned and how that might be useful rather than a specific goal; reality; options; will process.

There is also a great Jim Collins story of being a teacher so you learn, and therefore I will leave you with this thought, in pursuit of exceptional performance, energised people and an organisation that is cutting edge how do you - as an HR practitioner – learn to improve yourselves and those around you

Come and join in with Cris and I at VBI - a part of ACE Interactive.  Every day in the Exhibition Hall.  We'd love you to come and learn with us, and share learning with your fellow HR Professionals.  Stay Revved up!  Perry