On this week’s podcast, Chris and Chris talk about building a performance culture.

Usually, when we talk about a performance culture, sports analogies come up. You can take any professional sports team or any professional athlete, and every aspect of their chosen sport is based on performance.

So what makes up that performance culture? We have identified five things to help you build a performance culture in your business.

  

1) Know Your Stats

There isn’t a professional athlete that takes the field without knowing their relevant statistics. They don’t rely on the team or computer software to give them that information. They track their stats themselves, every day. You should do the same. Even if you are “just a tech“, you should know your stats. This allows you to qualify your value and to see your strengths or weaknesses.

2) Keep Score

Keeping score is about tracking stats over the long term and comparing those to others in the same position. The same goes for individuals and teams. Keeping score allows you to see how you’re doing versus others in the same position, on the same team, or on a different team. This gives you a frame of reference for your own performance.

3) Know Where You Stand

By knowing your stats and keeping score, you will know how you stand against industry standards, expectations, and your own personal goals. You will be able to identify the areas of weakness where you need to work, and identify the areas of strength where you can celebrate.

4) Practice!

When you know where you stand and what you need to work on, you now need to practice. Most people practice until they get something right. Professionals practice until they can’t get it wrong. They practice until the skill is developed and they only call for assistance when it’s needed. And it’s usually needed in a time of high pressure or high stakes.

When you practice something until you master it, you gain confidence in being able to rely on that skill set no matter what else is happening in the environment. There’s no professional athlete or team that starts practicing once they make it to the big leagues. They practice even more at that level.

5) Remember that Someone Wants Your Spot

If you don’t know your stats, don’t keep score, don’t know where you stand, and don’t practice until you can’t get it wrong, someone will take your spot. Even if you do all of these things there’s always someone else doing them just as well, and that person wants your spot.

Every professional athlete knows that if they don’t do their very best, and use all of the tools at hand, then their back up person may end up becoming the starter.

 

Whether you’re a technician or a business owner, these five things must be in place in your business or your daily life. Building a performance culture takes time and work but it’s worth the effort to supercharge your performance.