BUSINESS SKILLS

SERIES: LEADERSHIP

Promoting performance
Ohne die Leistung der Mitarbeiter gelingt es auch der besten Führungspersönlichkeit nicht, Erfolge zu verzeichnen.
Im siebten Teil unserer Serie zum Thema „Führung“ führt BOB DIGNEN aus, wie mit dem richtigen Einsatz
der Leistungskraft einzelner Mitglieder eines Teams gute Ergebnisse erzielt werden.
ADVANCED  AUDIO  PLUS

I
f you ask people to define what makes
a great leader, they are likely to list at-
a team consisting of 12 people, the leader
shouldn’t focus only on their own per- A LEADER’S
tributes such as being a good listener,
being charismatic and decisive, being
formance, but should aim to secure the
best total performance from the team’s OWN
able to delegate and having good peo-
ple management skills. Yet ultimate-
12 members. This is not to say that leaders
should not perform. But the primary fo- PERFORMANCE
ly, the hallmark of good leadership is
success — getting results, delivering
cus of a leader should be the performance
of others. MATTERS FAR
performance.
Those who consistently deliver effec-
Another key point is that performance
management begins long before per-
anchor [(ÄNkE] 
, Anker; hier: Orientie-
rungspunkt
LESS THAN
tive performance do not necessarily share
a special set of personality traits. What
formance begins. In fact, it starts with
recruitment. Talented and motivated
blend: a ~ of... [blend] 
,  hier: breit gefächerte ...
THAT OF THE
they have in common is technical exper-
tise — they are good at what they do. And
people tend to perform well. Those who
are less talented and less motivated tend
commitment
[kE(mItmEnt] 
, Engagement
TEAM
they focus on a number of key leadership to perform less well. If leaders pay insuf-
principles that, when effectively execut- ficient attention to building powerful compromised
[(kQmprEmaIzd] 
ed, can ensure that results are delivered teams, and fail to surround themselves
, beeinträchtigt; hier:
reliably. In this article, we investigate sev- with those who have the potential to weniger leistungsstark
en leadership performance principles. We perform highly, they will quickly find consistently
examine the logic of these principles and themselves in the frustrating position [kEn(sIstEntli] 
look at how you can activate them in your of trying to improve performance from a , konstant

own role to achieve greater success. deficit position. One international leader dedicate time to sth.
[)dedIkeIt (taIm tu] 
These seven principles of performance told me that the projects he had to lead
,  Zeit für etw. investieren
management can serve as anchors in an were 50 per cent compromised if the
ensure sth. [In(SO:] 
often stormy and foggy work environ- team he was given lacked the necessary ,  etw. sicherstellen
ment, in which there is not only too much skills and commitment.
execute sth. [(eksIkju:t] 
to do but it is also unclear exactly what Leaders therefore need to dedicate ,  etw. umsetzen
should be done as a result of competing time to networking and to finding the expertise [)eksp§:(ti:z] 
expectations and priorities. These anchors next talented performer. And they need , Sachkompetenz
ensure that the important things do get to be ready, if necessary, to poach talent hallmark [(hO:lmA:k] 
done — and get done well. either from an internal colleague or an , Kennzeichen
external competitor. And they need to poach sb./sth. [pEUtS] 
1. Focus on the potential of others remember that differences and diversi- ,  jmdn. stehlen, etw.
wildern; hier: sich jmdn./
The first principle — and a core as- ty matter. Leaders need people who will etw. verschaffen
sumption behind the seven-principles challenge them. And research confirms
recruitment
framework — is that a leader’s own per- that higher performance is delivered by [ri(kru:tmEnt] 
formance matters far less than the per- teams with a blend of talents rather than , (Personal-)Einstellung
formance of their team. At a certain level, by groups whose members have similar trait [treIt] 
it’s simple maths. If you have a leader of skills. , Merkmal

38  Business Spotlight 7/2019 BUSINESS SKILLS

Illustrationen: Yann Bastard

Wrong focus:
your team should
be your priority
 2. Define the scope of performance
The second principle is to define exactly
what individuals should focus on in their
roles. The nature of many organizations
is so complex and changing that roles and
responsibilities can quickly become blur-
ry. A frequent complaint is that it is not
clear who is responsible for what. Poor
performance is often the result of impor-
clarified within and across them, employ- align sb./sth. with sth.
[E(laIn wID] 
ees have a clearer understanding of the
,  jmdn./etw. mit etw. in
territory in which they have to perform Einklang bringen
to the maximum. Not defining the scope blurry [(bl§:ri] 
of performance can limit an individual’s ,  verschwommen, unklar
potential to perform. boundary [(baUndEri] 
There are additional benefits beyond ,  Grenze, Grenzlinie
the individual level from defining the clarify sth. [(klÄrEfaI] 
scope of performance clearly. Areas of re- ,  etw. klarstellen

tant issues falling between the responsi- sponsibility can be discussed within and deploy sth. [di(plOI] 
bility of different roles and departments. between teams and departments, and dif- ,  etw. einsetzen

This is not to say that roles can or ferences in focus and conflicts of interest embrace sth. [Im(breIs] 
,  etw. akzeptieren
should ever be fully defined. Employees
are expected to embrace uncertainty,
can quickly become clear. Discussions
can then be held to align expectations and IT IS scope [skEUp] 
, Wirkungsbereich
to proactively take on extra tasks and
responsibilities beyond their core role.
improve collaboration and performance
across the organization. ESSENTIAL
But it is essential for leaders to clarify
the different elements of each role. What
One consequence of this perspective
is that leaders might need to advise their FOR LEADERS
is the core role? What is the natural ex-
tended role? And where can creativity
team members not to focus only on suc-
cess in their own role, but to consider the TO CLARIFY
be deployed beyond this extended role
in the organization’s grey zone — and
performance needs of the broader organ-
ization. To take a simple example, beating THE ROLES
where would this be a waste of time and
resources?
a personal sales target may create organi-
zational underperformance if the organ- OF TEAM
If these different boundaries can be
drawn, and decision-making authority
ization is unable to deliver punctually
on the sales orders, leading to customer MEMBERS
Case study: The performance dilemma
Luis Gonzales is leading a sales team based in San her performance, which means we hit our assessment [E(sesmEnt] 
Diego, California. The team is responsible for selling targets? Or do we try to change a mindset , Einschätzung

air-conditioning systems to small hotels across the and set of behaviours that are probably fault sb. [fO:lt] 
southern part of the United States and also northern unchangeable? ,  jmdm. einen Vorwurf
machen
Mexico. Paul Allerton, Luis’s direct boss and head Paul: We have to try.
hit sth. [hIt] ifml. 
of the San Diego office, has asked for a meeting to Luis: We risk losing her if we do this. She’s very
,  hier: etw. erfüllen
discuss a performance issue regarding a member of sensitive to criticism.
insubordinate
Luis’s team, Lynda Polkowski. Paul: But we need to uphold standards of behav- [)InsE(bO:dInEt] 
iour on the team. We have values. , aufmüpfig
Paul: So, Luis, I’m concerned about Lynda’s per- Luis: Diversity is one of our values. Doesn’t that mindset [(maIndset] 
formance. mean accepting people like Lynda, and not , Denkweise

Luis: Really? But she’s the star of the team. She asking her to change her direct style of com- outspoken
had an outstanding sales record last year. munication? Our main duty is to our cus- [)aUt(spEUkEn] 
,  offen, direkt
And this year looks the same. tomers, and you can’t fault her there.
Paul: Yes, the results are undeniable. But it’s her Paul: I disagree. But I don’t have time now to outstanding
[)aUt(stÄndIN] 
attitude that worries me. discuss this in detail. Let’s use the morning , hervorragend
Luis: Yes, she’s a bit outspoken sometimes. meeting tomorrow to discuss this. rude [ru:d] 
Paul: Outspoken? She verges on being rude and , unverschämt

⋅⋅
insubordinate. In a meeting last week, she What to think about undeniable
said my proposal was “absurd”. And she What is the main difference between Paul’s and [)VndI(naIEb&l] 
, unbestreitbar

⋅⋅
was equally direct with her own team in the Luis’s assessment of Lynda’s performance?
meeting. A few of them complained to me Is Luis correct when he says of Lynda “you can’t uphold sth. [Vp(hEUld] 
,  etw. aufrechterhalten

⋅⋅
afterwards. It’s not a new problem, it seems. fault her”?
Luis: It’s been an issue for some time, yes. But What steps should Paul and Luis take to manage verge on sth. [(v§:dZ Qn] 
,  an etw. grenzen
we need to make a choice. Do we want Lynda?
➻ You will find our feedback on page 42
40  Business Spotlight 7/2019 BUSINESS SKILLS
 dissatisfaction. In such a case, it is high-
ly questionable whether the sales team
member, focusing just on their own role,
has performed well at all — at least from
the perspective of the organization.
Unfortunately, few internal roles and
reward systems are organized on the
basis of sustainable organizational suc-
cess. And few leaders are brave enough to
challenge the logic of the current perfor-
mance management system. The result
is often the illusion of performance with
short-term micro-gains constantly under-
mining longer-term strategic benefits.

3. Align tasks and people

“How can I motivate my team mem-
bers to perform better?” This frequently
asked question is, unfortunately, often the
wrong question. The issue is not how to
motivate but how to connect roles and re-
sponsibilities to the intrinsic motivations
of individuals such that external motivat-
ing becomes unnecessary. Constructing
responsibilities so that they align with
the strengths, inner motivations and
values of team members — for whom
work may be a secondary priority after
their personal life or some higher ethical Flashpoint: take responsibility
purpose — takes a lot of time. It involves rather than blaming others
listening to people, forming a relationship
with them, and having honest and robust align with sth.
[E(laIn wID] ,  mit etw.
conversations about where their talent im Einklang stehen
lies (see Business Spotlight 5/2019). High
annual appraisal
performance then becomes a natural and [)ÄnjuEl E(preIz&l] 
almost inevitable result. ,  jährliche Beurteilung

highlight sth. [(haIlaIt] 

4. Support to enable ,  etw. hervorheben

The concept of “leader as coach” has been inevitable [In(evItEb&l] 

well established since the late 1990s, high-
lighting the reality that leadership is now
viewed as an enabling, even an inspiring,
role rather than a purely transactional
one. Supportive “servant leaders” focus
on the creation of learning opportunities
for team members so that they can devel-
op — and perform ever more effectively.
This learning focus can have formal ele-
ments, such as annual appraisals and per-
sonal development plans. It can also in-
clude more informal components, such as
continuous feedback, periodic coaching
conversations, planned training events,
Illustrationen: Yann Bastard
, zwangsläufig KEY TIPS!
•
intrinsic [In(trInsIk]  Think about the amount of time
,  eigentlich, spezifisch you spend in your leadership role
helping others to perform better.
return on investment
What more could you do?
[ri)t§:n Qn In(vestmEnt] 
•
,  (Kapital-)Rendite; hier:
Discuss with individuals in your
nutzbringende Ergebnisse teams the way in which their roles
robust [rEU(bVst]  could be aligned better with their
,  hier: aussagekräftig talents.
•
sustainable Make sure that everyone in your
[sE(steInEb&l]  team knows what their core and
,  nachhaltig, tragfähig extended roles are and thinks
about their contribution to the
organization’s success.

encouragement to network and help with align sth. with sth. [E(laIn wID] 
connecting with a mentor. ,  etw. auf etw. abstimmen
Cultivating current and future per-
formance offers a potentially higher re-
turn on investment of leader time, but

BUSINESS SKILLS 7/2019 Business Spotlight 41 

 accountability it is frequently overlooked as a result of busy lead- leaders who disagree with each other. Welcome to
[E)kaUntE(bIlEti]  ership schedules. Also, the empathy and listening the real world!
,  Verantwortlichkeit
competence required to coach and develop others Complaints do not deliver change. And explaining
compromise sth. is often lacking in leaders, forcing many to rely on one’s own failures in terms of the faults of others de-
[(kQmprEmaIz] 
,  etw. gefährden heavy-handed advice. This can generate resentment lays the application of the sort of solution-oriented
erode sth. [I(rEUd] 
or a negative co-dependency, useful neither for lead- behaviour needed to tackle tough issues.
,  etw. untergraben, er nor team member. All leaders should ask them- Alongside a strong demand from leaders for ac-
schwächen selves what percentage of their time they dedicate countability on the part of team members — with
fall short [)fO:l (SO:t]  to developing the current and future performance team members saying loud and proud, “I am respon-
,  unzulänglich sein
of others. Their answer is almost certainly: “Not sible for these tasks” — there is a need for sanctions
heavy-handed enough”. when performance falls short. Nothing erodes in-
[)hevi (hÄndId] 
,  streng
dividual performance as much as a lack of conse­

mindset [(maIndset] 
5. Earn the right to demand accountability quences when promises are not kept, agreed objec-
, Denkweise If the first four principles have been successfully im- tives are not met or mistakes are repeated. Sanctions
plemented, leaders will have earned the right to de- here do not mean punishment. Instead, as a first step,
objective [Eb(dZektIv] 
, Ziel(setzung) mand a high level of accountability from their team it simply means dialogues to explore the causes of
overwhelmed members. failure, clarify areas of accountability and confirm fu-
[)EUvE(welmd]  Many team members, despite getting support, ture consequences if performance does not improve.
,  hier: überfordert are overwhelmed by the dynamic and complex in-
resentment [ri(zentmEnt]  ternational work environments in which they find
,  Ärger, Unmut
themselves. They are poor at prioritizing, fearful of
reveal sth. [ri(vi:&l]  making mistakes, and can quickly fall into a reactive
,  etw. offenbaren
and defensive mindset. It is essential for leaders to
schedule [(Sedju:l] 
challenge attitudes and behaviours that threaten to
, Terminplan
compromise performance, particularly the “victim
tackle sth. [(tÄk&l] 
,  etw. angehen
mindset”.
Victim-thinking, or blame-thinking, is serious
under-resourced
[)VndE ri(zO:st]  because it reveals a deep misunderstanding of the
, unterfinanziert nature of organizations today. These are often high-
victim [(vIktIm]  ly fragmented, are under-resourced, have goals that
, Opfer are not aligned across departments and are led by

Case study: Feedback (see p. 40)

The following comments are provided
as food for thought. Different interpreta-
tions are, of course, possible.
What is the main difference between
Paul’s and Luis’s assessment of Lynda’s
performance?
Paul is worried about Lynda’s mindset
and behaviour. He thinks she communi-
cates in a way that is rude and insubor-
dinate, and that is not accepted by other
members of the team. Luis accepts Paul’s
opinion, but he feels that Lynda’s success
in sales and her focus on customers are
more important considerations.
Is Luis correct when he says of Lynda
“you can’t fault her”?
Luis is correct in so far as Lynda is per-
forming very well in a key area of her re-
sponsibility (sales). However, she is also
accountable for her impact on the team
and for her adherence to standards of pro- accountable grievance
fessional conduct. If she fails to behave in [E(kaUntEb&l]  [(gri:vEns] 
, verantwortlich ,  Beschwerde, Klage
a professional manner internally, she may
adherence (to) impact [(ImpÄkt] 
cause other team members to leave. She
[Ed(hIErEns (tu)]  , Wirkung
may also trigger a legal grievance of poor ,  Befolgung (von)
insubordinate
management against the company. conduct [(kQndVkt]  [)InsE(bO:dInEt] 
, Verhalten , aufmüpfig
What steps should Paul and Luis take to fault sb. mindset [(maIndset] 
manage Lynda? [fO:lt]  , Denkweise
,  jmdm. einen Vorwurf
It is important to discuss Lynda’s be- rude [ru:d] 
machen
haviour with her and determine wheth- , unverschämt
food for thought
er she is aware of the impact she has on [)fu:d fE (TO:t] 
trigger sth. [(trIgE] 
,  etw. auslösen
others and whether she is motivated to , Denkanstoß/-anstöße
change. If her awareness is low but desire
for change is high, a coach might enable
her to explore new behaviour. If her mo-
tivation to change is low, then Paul and
Luis potentially have to take a tough de-
cision to drop Lynda from the team or to
change her role so that she can act more
independently and in accordance with
her strengths.

42  Business Spotlight 7/2019 BUSINESS SKILLS

 All for one:
great teams are
motivated to
work together

6. Talk and walk together “walking-the-talk” approach — showing through alienating: be ~ for sb.
[(eIliEneItIN] 
The concept of role modelling has a long history in your actions the way you want things done — is ,  jmdn. verprellen  
leadership. Military heroes, for example, were fre- talking and walking together with individuals and (alienate sb. 
quently praised for “leading from the front”. Yet, role teams. In this way, you can co-create a culture of per- ,  jmdn. entfremden)

modelling is a double-edged sword for leaders trying formance that is both ambitious but also engaging desert [di(z§:t] 
,  hier: abwandern
to inspire performance simply because so many of and sustainable.
them make poor role models. And if we accept that leaders’ high performance double-edged sword
[)dVb&l )edZd (sO:d] 
This is not to say that they lack the necessary tech- levels can present a risk to team performance, then , zweischneidiges
nical and personal skills. It is more often the case that any co-created culture needs to create the space for Schwert
the work ethic of leaders, their desire for quality, their team members to provide feedback to the team lead- engaging
speed and their impatience with those who are slow er about how they feel and what they need in order [In(geIdZIN] 
,  einbindend, integrativ
can be alienating for those who want to perform at a to perform to their maximum.
more normal level, with a more sustainable work-life technical
Illustrationen: Yann Bastard

[(teknIk&l] 
balance. ,  hier: fachlich
Particularly with the younger generations, super
walk the talk
high levels of leader commitment — to the point of [)wO:k DE (tO:k] US ifml. 
sacrificing family life and health — may cause talent ,  seinen Worten Taten
to desert. What may work better than the traditional folgen lassen

BUSINESS SKILLS 7/2019 Business Spotlight 43 

 7. Celebrate success
It is often said that success breeds suc- MANY LEADERS Language reference
cess. In the same way, performance deliv-
ers performance. Like a sports team that DO NOT TAKE Here are some examples of the language you can
use to communicate more effectively about perfor-
begins to win and then goes on winning,
working teams can gain confidence from ENOUGH TIME mance.

successful performance and discover new

ways to create and experience further suc- TO CELEBRATE ⋅⋅⋅⋅
Focusing on the potential of others
What do you see as your greatest talent?
cess.
Yet, the reality is that many leaders SUCCESSES ⋅⋅
What is your next step?
How interesting would my department/project be
don’t celebrate success enough, and so
forgo the momentum and energy that WITH THEIR for you?

celebrating can deliver. And celebration is

not complex. It simply means taking time, TEAMS ⋅⋅⋅⋅
Defining the scope of performance
What do you see as your core role(s)?

⋅⋅
perhaps organizing an event, giving up an In which other areas would you like to perform?
evening, finding the money to buy every- This activity is not the best use of your skills
one dinner or having the courage to make because…
a short heartfelt presentation of thanks.

⋅⋅⋅⋅
There are many easy excuses we can Aligning tasks and people
find for not doing this, not least that we How motivating is your current role for you?

⋅⋅
don’t have the time. Yet even a quiet word actions speak louder What are your biggest drivers at work?
than words [)ÄkS&nz
with an individual can be highly effective, spi:k )laUdE DEn (w§:dz] 
So, how can we shape the role to be a better fit for
or a few words of recognition in an email ,  Taten sagen mehr als you?
to a senior sponsor in the organization, Worte

⋅⋅
representing the commitment and efforts breed sth. [bri:d]  Supporting to enable
,  etw. erzeugen, züchten;
of team members. What support do you need at the moment from
hier: zu etw. führen

⋅⋅
And if actions speak louder than words, me?
buy sb. dinner
success can also be celebrated and reward- [)baI (dInE] 
Can I give you some feedback that I think is im-

⋅⋅
ed concretely with an offer of a training ,  jmdn. zum (Abend-) portant for you?
course, an extra night’s stay in a hotel Essen einladen How can we develop your skills for future chal-
during a business trip or an invitation to commit time to sth. lenges?
a senior management event to expose in- [kE)mIt (taIm tu] 
,  Zeit für etw. aufwenden

⋅⋅
dividuals to strategic discussions. Earning the right to demand accountability
expose sb. to sth.
[Ik(spEUz] 
So, can you tell me why you did this / didn’t do
A simple question
⋅⋅⋅⋅
,  jmdn. etw. aussetzen; this?
Living the seven leadership performance hier: jmdn. an etw. What could you have done differently?
beteiligen
principles should not be that difficult. So, can we agree that in the future, you will… ?
They simply require thought and a little forgo sth. [)fO:(gEU] 
,  auf etw. verzichten

⋅⋅
planning. And ask yourself this question: Talking and walking together
heartfelt [(hA:tfelt] 
if you don’t have the energy to commit ,  herzlich, aufrichtig
Sorry if I didn’t explain that clearly. I know I go too

⋅⋅
time to this, why should your team mem- quickly sometimes.
momentum
bers commit their effort to delivering the [mEU(mentEm]  So, what’s the best way for us to ensure high per-

⋅⋅
performance that you are asking for? ,  Dynamik, Impuls formance?
So, what can we change to enable you to perform
➻ better?

In part eight of our series on leadership, we look

⋅⋅
at the importance of trust. Celebrating success
I think your work on this was excellent. Thank you

⋅⋅⋅⋅
(all) very much.
AUDIO + PLUS You really helped us / the team to…
To recognize your work, I propose that…
You can try our
exercises on this
topic on Business
accountability driver [(draIvE]  I go
Spotlight Audio
as well as in our [E)kaUntE(bIlEti]  , Antriebskraft, [)aI (gEU] 
exercise booklet, ,  Verantwortlichkeit -faktor ,  hier: ich bin
BOB DIGNEN
Business Spotlight
is a director of York Associates align sb./sth. ensure sth. scope
Plus. To order, go
(www.york-associates.co.uk) and author to www.aboshop. [E(laIn (wID)]  [In(SO:]  [skEUp] 
of many business English books. Con- spotlight-verlag.de ,  jmdn./etw. in ,  etw. sicherstellen , Wirkungsbereich
tact: bob.dignen@york-associates.co.uk Einklang bringen

44  Business Spotlight 7/2019 BUSINESS SKILLS

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