The Four M's of Performance Improvement

Management consultant and author Scott Love gives a simple way to assess areas for an organization's potential performance improvement.

(PRWEB) October 25, 2004 -- One of my clients, an executive with a large and well-managed bank, asked me to consider consulting with them on performance improvement. He knew that the time to work on getting to the next level isnt when you are in a crisis, but when things are relatively stable and productive. When I asked him about potential places for performance improvement, he responded with some specific areas in which he felt that assistance from someone on the outside would offer a fresh and challenging perspective. When he asked me how I would go about solving some of their issues, I told him, "We dont know exactly what the real issues are in your company at this point. You might think that the noise from your cars engine means that the timing belt will soon need to be replaced, but if we investigate it further we might find that its only the loose change rattling in your ash tray. Lets first investigate and pinpoint some root issues facing you right now, then well come up with a plan of action for resolution and improvement."

In order to find those potential improvement areas within your organization, even when things are going well, consider this simple model of what I call the Four MS of Performance Improvement:

Metrics. Anything that can be measured generally improves over a period of time. I first learned this when I was a twenty-four year old internal organizational development consultant in the Navy. It was in the early nineties that the Navy rolled out a leadership initiative using W. Edwards Demings management methods, otherwise known as Total Quality Management. Demings message of continuous improvement also included a component of knowing what improvements need to be continuously made and in what areas. And when you eagerly start making improvements, you need to make sure that youre not chasing the wrong areas to improve. Did that change you make recently really improve the bottom line? How do you know? If its measurable, its real.

Motivation. The gas in the car is what makes it go. Your staff needs to operate from a place of intrinsic motivation. Its not the incentive package that you worked so hard to create that will keep them keeping on. Its not the trip at the end of the year. Its not the brow-beating and the heat they feel from the boss. Its the burn within the belly that compels them to do what they should do, even when they dont feel like it. And when people can consciously choose to perform at their peak levels even when they dont want to, they will run circles around the competition. The internal motivation of your team is what will give your company an edge, and remember that an edge, no matter how large or small, is still an edge. And sometimes thats all you need to win the race.

Message. What is the message that is brought to the market about your company? How specific is it? Do you sell your customers on the fact that you are the oldest manufacturing company in your niche or the fact that you can solve their personal problems when they buy your product? Your message will miss the mark if you dont bring clarity in showing your customers why they benefit personally from doing business with your organization. It doesnt matter how slick your new website is if it doesnt say anything about how your customers benefit on a personal level from doing business with you.

Meaning. Why do your people come to work everyday? If I asked you what the vision of your company is, would you respond that its to put money in the shareholders pockets? If that is the case, then do you really think your staff will go to the wall when they need to? Its your job as a leader to crystallize the long term and emotional vision of what your organization or even your department will look like in the future, and start talking about it.

The time to make serious headway in performance improvement isnt when things are going wrong. Its when theyre going well. Use this model to analyze your business and make a commitment today to work it to the next level.

Copyright © 2004 Scott Love

Scott Love improves employee performance by showing managers how to put meaning back into work, how to build authentic employee motivation, and how to lead. To have him speak at your annual franchise, association, or corporate meeting, call him at 828-225-7700. To access his leadership resources and archive of leadership articles, visit www.scottlove.com.

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