This is a different type of blog contribution than normal – prompted by attending an amazing conference yesterday. I had the thrill and privilege of hearing inspirational social change activists and entrepreneurs speaking about their life, their motivations, their considerable achievements and the lessons they learnt on the way. There was so much I took away from the day but overwhelmingly it was the exuberant, passionate and purposeful way in which they lived their lives. In short they were living 100%. All of it, completely, the painful challenges as well as the soaring achievements.
I believe everyone should live a full life. And this is why I am committed to educating and supporting managers to undertake honest and skilful Performance Management Conversations. Every time I walk around an organisation or business I witness people living small, unrewarding, non-productive and saddening lives. And not one single person deserves that reality.
Yet we are all capable of experiencing this sad life – a personal prison constructed out of fear, doubt, lack of confidence, a sense of entrapment, low expectations, ignorance of our strengths, lack of passion, lack of purpose and the wearing, daily sense of grind that living can become.
Slowly, over time, we become embittered, cynical, tired, angry and turn into a manager’s nightmare. We behave and perform poorly. And the version of reality we experience is confirmed when no-one notices, no-one seems concerned, no-one has a conversation starting with ‘What is going on? What is wrong? What needs to change for you to gain enjoyment and reward from your work?’
Many managers are dubious about undertaking this type of conversation. Yet, not to do so results in a poor team, poor results and a lost life. Starting this conversation is saying ‘I notice, this matters and something needs to change’. Some people are not practised with change, are frighten of it, and will not do so until they are forced to. Dismissal is sometimes the lengths a manager needs to take in order to say ‘You deserve, and are capable of, so much more than this’.
Questions about how to do this? Contact me here and learn how to liberate lives.
And curious about who are already living their lives at 100%? They were: Sam Roddick, daughter of Anita and founder of Coco de Mer; Jeremy Gilley, a man who achieved one day of peace in Afghanistan this year and founder of Peace One Day; Marc Koska OBE, inventor of the auto disable syringe saving thousands of lives, check the amazing statistics of his work here; Dr Rohan Weerasinghe, a man of amazing energy and insights; Steve Bolton, property millionaire after taking the TV show Friends as his business inspiration; Simon Woodroffe OBE, founder of Yo! Sushi who spoke with great honesty; and finally the man who put the conference together, Daniel Priestly of Triumphant Events.
