Not Every Organization Wants Performance

The proverbial high performing team has become a leadership cliché. I can’t count the number of leaders who claim to have built a high performing team (often, despite objective evidence to the contrary).

But what if the culture of the organization that you’re leading in is actually a low performance culture? How would you know, when all the rhetoric coming from above you is about high-performance?

No one will ever admit that the culture of their organization is inexorably geared to low performance… there’s an unspoken pact that the most senior leaders will keep up the ruse that everyone is performing extremely well. Let’s face it – to say anything else would be impolite!

It’s inordinately easier to get away with low performance in a non-competitive environment… it just is! There are no market forces to keep the senior leadership honest… Government organizations come to mind, as do businesses that operate in regulated monopoly markets, like companies that deliver water, electricity and transportation infrastructure.

There is no performance imperative, because there’s no alternative source of those products and services. Often, this encourages the leadership to focus on increasing their operating budget allocation, and protecting the status quo.

Don’t get me wrong, there are always great people in these organizations… with strong work ethic, high standards, and a desire to be the best they can be for their stakeholders… 

Unfortunately, though, they exist in a culture that is, by its very nature, destined for low performance. I’m not saying that this is the exclusive domain of government agencies and regulated monopolies. But without competition to keep an organization sharp, it’s easy to see how the sheer insularity of its operating parameters can make it fat, dumb, and happy.

What are the telltale signs of a low performance culture? In Ep.239: Leading in a Low Performance Culture, I outlined 10 key indicators to look for. Here’s a few of them:

1. 1. The first sign of low performance is the lack of focus on results – instead, the focus is on processes and rules
   2. The second sign is that the culture sets extremely lax standards for individual performance: there are no consequences for people’s choices about their performance or behavior – there’s almost nothing that won’t be tolerated in the name of kindness and understanding…
   3. The third sign is the frequent rationalization for all of the above, in an effort to mask the performance weaknesses in righteous nobility:
      1. We care about our people
      2. We are inclusive… everyone has a place here
      3. We’re a family
      4. We put people before profits
         Sound familiar?
   4. The fourth sign is resistance to change. “We do it this way for a reason! And if you don’t agree, it’s because you just don’t understand it well enough”.

If you do find yourself in one of these organizations, don’t worry – you can still make a difference… you can still have a great career… you can still face complex problems and interesting challenges… you can still be a great leader for your team…

But you’re unlikely to ever experience the deep joy and satisfaction of leading a crack team of high performers who are operating at their peak!

The organization’s lack of appetite for change will eventually drive most high performers out! The only way to counter this is to create an island of excellence in your team, and give them the gift of strong leadership… even if the people above you don’t share your level of commitment to the outcomes.