No matter how great the strategy is, or how aligned the structures, processes, and skills are, if people are not behaving in ways that generate value, the organization will not survive long term.
There are many models of high performance behavior. Mastery in the disciplines shown below requires leaders to become aware of their own mental models and ways of thinking. Only then are they able to shift their patterns of thinking and intentionally choose to act in ways that add the most value. Without a commitment to these types of high performance behaviors, organizations tend to drift toward fragmentation rather than alignment, excuses rather than accountability, and fear rather than learning. People become resigned to conflicts and breakdowns around them rather than being empowered to overcome them. This natural “drift” toward mediocrity is something we need to counteract every day.
“Throughout history, the really fundamental changes in societies have come about not from dictates of governments and the results of battles but through vast numbers of people changing their minds—sometimes only a little bit.”
Commitment to results
The effectiveness of the organization is significantly influenced by the personal and team "disciplines" that are fostered within the organization.
Alignment
Choosing to own a decision and act in a way that is consistent with it; includes alignment to decisions the individual or team did not make
Accountability
Establishing and keeping clear agreements and taking initiative to do what is needed for success
Leveraging breakdowns
Proactively surfacing barriers and turning them from roadblocks into a springboard for greater effectiveness and performance
Generative listening
Identifying and changing automatic biases and beliefs that impact actions and outcomes
Straight talk
Sharing honestly what you are thinking in order to have effective conversations that produce results
Coaching in the moment
Providing real-time feedback to each other in a constructive way
Acknowledgement
Recognizing and sincerely expressing acknowledgement for what has been accomplished
