Our approach to creating a high-performance workforce is based on a foundation of research, experience, and data from years of working with workforces, leaders, and large organizations to survey employees, ask questions of leaders, and apply content and science that works.
Our methodology is steadfast but continuously evolving as we learn new insights and effects on workforces. The methodology we utilize, just like the solutions we offer, is driven by data–the voice of employees globally. It’s a story that’s rooted in science, data, and experience, but it’s also a story where the chapters continue to unfold. As they do, we learn more, as we learn we evolve, we teach, and we lead. You can be assured that no matter what is impacting workforces–we have the data and science to empower leaders to continue driving performance.
Contrary to popular belief, talent is not a scarce resource like a diamond in the rough. Every person you meet is teeming with their own unique set of talents. Our goal is to find the person whose talent is best suited for the job.
The single most impactful thing you can do to drive elite performance is to create an environment where employees are motivated to want to work harder, stay longer, and care more.
The very best managers know how to individualize. This is about understanding the uniqueness of each person and drawing out their very best.
Achieving a high-performing workforce is about attracting the very best, refining the organizational experience, and enhancing the individual experience. For an organization to achieve maximum potential in its workforce and higher behavioral and business outcomes, all three components need to come together with precision. Defining the levers and ultimate ‘sweet spot” of an organization happens through accurate data and proven workforce science to understand the individual needs, talents, contributions, and moments that matter to the employees. When this is combined with the right influence of leadership to drive engagement and ability, and filtered through effective action planning that leads to strengthening priority drivers of an organization the real magic happens.
Historically, psychologists debated what ultimately drove performance, commonly known as nature vs. nurture. Nowadays, we know, without a doubt, that performance isn’t one or the other–it is a combination of both. High performance comes from nature x nurture. The foundation is finding people whose natural, gifts, abilities, and talents are a good fit for the tasks the job requires. And those gits, abilities, and talents are multiplied over time as they gain experience and know-how and truly become experts in the craft through nurture.
When you take this individualized performance and combine it into a culture that fosters diverse thinking, people, ideas, and skillsets to work together in a really effective and productive way it empowers new employees to know how to get work done and it’s the number one predictor of retention for high performers. On the reverse, if culture is done incorrectly, it can severely hurt an organization’s performance. What good are high-performing employees when they don’t thrive in the culture, and therefore, don’t stick around.
Highly engaged employees are more motivated, committed, and conscientious. They tend to work harder, stay longer, and care more. But, engagement alone just isn’t enough. Your highest engaged employees will fail without the training, tools, and resources to do the job effectively.
Without being truly equipped employees become frustrated. It’s imperative that organizations are effective in not only engaging employees but equipping them with what they need to get the job done–it takes both sides of the formula to work effectively. Equip is a component of manager effectiveness. Leaders and managers need to be the voice of their employees, fight for what’s needed, and ultimately, hold the torch for ensuring the organizational experience, as a whole is being managed effectively.
When managers have the ability to individualize the employee experience employees are at their best. Overall, there are company drivers and priorities that drive the organization forward, but each person within those efforts is unique. Managers need to take the time to understand each employee at an individual level to truly pinpoint what motivates and inspires them to perform at higher levels.
Data has shown that a sense of belonging has become a top global driver for most organizations. This sense is driven by a few components, employees feeling like they are part of a team, that their contribution matters, and that they can be their authentic selves at work. It is also driven by a sense of working for a cause, not a company. What is the larger impact the work has on the world outside of the organization’s walls?
Essentially, every employee experience is a journey within itself–they are experiencing not only the tangible but the emotional effects of working for an organization–within that experience, there are critical moments that matter. When these moments are identified and handled appropriately they can create enormous momentum for an organization. When they are not identified, or misidentified and mishandled they can have long-lasting negative effects on an organization and the employees.
