In our experience, most successful people attribute their success to hard work, grit, and competence built on some level of talent over time. If luck was a factor, it seems to be coincidental.
That said, relying on luck or "the hope method" is a bad strategy when it comes to developing the skill sets and mindset of your direct reports. Getting people to grow, develop and be on a path to reaching their potential comes down to multiple factors. We want to focus on four that work together to produce more predictable results, aka four C's – Competence, Confidence, Consistency and Commitment.
Let's start with Commitment. Commitment is demonstrating (through your decisions and behavior) your dedication to a cause or activity. There is a difference between commitment and compliance. As a manager/coach, it is critical to understand that distinction. Even a bad manager can get compliance with the right combination of consequences. Getting authentic commitment requires being actively engaged in the ongoing development and support of your people. It starts with showing your people that you are genuinely invested in their success – a show of your commitment to them! People in part move beyond compliance to commitment when they feel that their efforts are noticed, appreciated, and supported. Commitment also comes from a belief that what you are doing has value, that it is making a difference. The easiest way as a manager to help foster commitment is to regularly give your people a line of sight between what they are contributing and how it impacts the big picture combined with your support and appreciation.
Competence is the ability to do something successfully or efficiently. It's doing something to the standard that has been set. It comes as the result of ensuring your people have the knowledge, and skill sets to perform optimally. This is not a one-size-fits-all solution. Each person has an individualized profile and comes to you with a unique blend of existing skills and knowledge. Your job as a manager/coach is to build on what is there and help them fill in the gaps.
This starts with determining what knowledge and skills are needed to excel in each role. Then taking an honest look at where the individual is right now. Some of this can be determined through performance measurements such as quotas, QA standards, or other performance indicators. When you know what the gap is, the goal is to work with each person to close it. That approach will be as unique as each person. You know that because someone who has been "trained" doesn't always mean they are capable (competent) of performing optimally or at all.
One important way to look at any gap in performance is an analysis of ability and willingness. Are they not performing as needed because they can't or won't? Lacking ability usually means they need more, or different, training followed by more, or different, coaching and practice to perfect the needed skills. If they are able and lack willingness, the approach is different. Counseling with a lot of LISTENING is the key. Find the roadblock preventing them from performing to their ability and work with them to make progress.
Confidence is a feeling of self-assurance. It usually comes when an individual experiences a string of successes. We like to say, "confidence is typically born from the memory of success!" Each small win leads to a greater desire to continue to improve. Few of us get everything right the first time we try something new.
Think back to when you were learning a new skill. Possibly a new hobby, learning to drive when you were a teenager, or trying out a new sport. While positive experiences with a similar activity may give you some confidence in your ability to learn this new activity, you likely didn't start out with a very high degree of confidence. That usually comes over time with continued and repeated practice and successes. The same is true for your people on the job. Their confidence will grow with each time they progress from their actions. It will grow even faster if you are an engaged coach acknowledging each small step forward. Studies have shown conclusively that positive reinforcement produces faster and better results in performance than critiques or negative feedback. The coaching point for you as coach is “Recognize any and all progress instead of waiting for perfection”.
Typically, as an individual's commitment, competence, and confidence grow, so does consistency. People will naturally do more of the behaviors that both produce positive results and gets them positive recognition. As a manager/coach, your people's consistency should be acknowledged to ensure they continue to deliver it.
So, rather than hoping for a committed, competent, confident team, what is a manager/coach to do? We suggest behavioral assessments, such as The Omnia Assessment which uncovers valuable insights about how to best work with your individual team members to develop their willingness and ability. The top 5 benefits for using The Omnia Assessment for employee development include:
As a manager, your job is to "create the conditions" for success for all your people. That means taking an appropriately active role in the development of each individual. Take time to carefully assess their willingness and ability. Work to truly understand what they need to be and feel more successful.
Find out what's in the way and what is missing for them – insight, information, resources, tools, training, practice…? Are you acknowledging small positive steps to build both competence and confidence? Is it enough? Are you clearly showing your appreciation through words of encouragement, recognition, and thanks? What would happen if you doubled those efforts?
The four Cs are part of the formula that ensures you are getting your people to grow, develop, and be on a path to reaching their potential. It starts with your authentic commitment to their success AND yours. It's not about luck. It's the result of building on the talent they have through hard work, grit, and commitment - supported and enabled by you.
We'd love to hear from you. Please share any significant lessons about how you didn't use luck when it came to developing an individual or team.
This guest blog is co-authored by Bethmarie Fahey and Gregg Baron, CMC of Success Sciences.
