Psychology of Performance – 31: Tim Tebow, Coach John Fox, and the Denver Broncos – A Case Study in Managing Hardening of the Attitudes

The Denver Broncos are now 5-5 and have a chance to lead their division this week. In the NFL, a common assumption is that you can only win with a pocket passing quarterback. Coach John Fox made a decision that challenged the attitudes, cognitive bias, and current assumptions of what it takes to win in the NFL. Tim Tebow has been criticized for his lack of throwing ability, his technique, his propensity to run, and other elements. Yet with Tebow at quarterback and the defense improving every game, the Bronco’s win-loss record is 4 and 1. The assumption that a quarterback has to pass and should not run is being refuted by the data. This will continue until a worst-case scenario – Tebow gets hurt – then another cognitive bias will happen, which is a peak-end bias. This cognitive distortion occurs when something is going along at a certain intensity, pace, or level of satisfaction or performance and then either something really good or really bad happens. The entire memory sequence now changes and decisions are based on the one-time event. In this case, no quarterback should be running the ball. This, of course, ignores the current data of how many passing quarterbacks have been injured this season already.

What Coach Fox has done is adapt his system to fit Tebow’s strengths rather than focusing on rectifying his limitations. Tebow, for his part, appears to have maintained his focus on “getting the job done” – whatever that takes. The rest of the cognitive changes appear to be shared by the majority of teammates who like winning over losing. (Who doesn’t?)

Reflect on your organizations, your individual performance, and make note of any hardening of the attitudes. They are fair game for intervention.

Have a day filled with success and perseverance,

Robert A. Mines, Ph.D.
CEO & Psychologist

Psychology of Performance – 30: Difficult People and Systems

Dan Siegel, M.D., has described a system as an integration of energy and information. In his lectures and recordings, he goes on to say that this is the one time in his life he was able to get 30 academicians to agree on something.

This definition has significant implications for the psychology of performance at the individual as well as the organizational level. If difficult people in our organizations are those whose behavior, cognition, or affect interfere with the integration of information and/or energy, then we now have another schema to interpret the situation and the impact on the system. For example, if someone is depressed, their energy is lower. How does this present itself in the work group and what effect does the lower energy have on the group’s energy as a whole? We know from the social psychology of comparison, emotional contagion, and the neurology of mirror neurons that the other team members’ energy will be lowered and therefore the productivity of the team may be lower. The converse is also true. In this situation, what if there is too much energy going into the system? If there is a workaholic team member, the team will experience stress, potential energy overload, and subsequent burnout or turnover.

How does information affect a system? Information is central to a system self-regulating – whether it’s the pace and flow of patients through a medical facility, financial information, or any set of data incorporated into a dashboard. If the information is late, corrupt, or in any way not accessible performance can suffer significantly. What if there is too much information? In this case, there is an extensive body of research on choices essentially stating that the more choices a person has beyond 3-5; the more inefficient they will be in making a decision – up to and including not deciding at all. In most of the organizations we consult with, the leadership has to make complex decisions regarding ill-structured problems on a regular basis. The quality and quantity of the information just keeps flowing and the decision makers may not have the opportunity to step back and evaluate what they really need to lead the organization while finding themselves in analysis paralysis.

Take the time to step back and evaluate your organization or individual performance from this perspective and see if it provides you with some new insights. Let us know what you discover.

Have a day filled with love and happiness,

Robert A. Mines, Ph.D.
CEO & Psychologist

Psychology of Performance – 29: Clash of Cultures on Transition

When an organization moves from a “Go-Go” phase to the next level, “Adolescence” (Adizes, 1999), the founder is faced with new organizational challenges. In the Go-Go phase the organization was making money, had few administrative departments, had few polices or formalized strategies in place, and had little management structure with defined accountabilities and authority. During the transition it is not uncommon for the founder to disengage then re-engage and disrupt the transition plan and team. This may be due to a number of factors from a need to be in control, disagreement with the policies and procedures being put in place, and regression, to the “that is not how we got where we are” syndrome, anxiety, distrust, and a sense of uncertainty about the future.

The impact on organizational performance and individual performance can be significant. First, the organization will be less profitable as it moves into adolescence almost by definition. The reason is that administrative staff such as HR, mid-level management, and other support staff are being added to move to the next level, and therefore, profitability percentages will drop. Second, the organization may drop in other areas of performance such as customer service and responsiveness because this value and behavior now needs to be systemized and made scalable where before it used to reside in individual staff and in the group norms as a smaller organization. Productivity definitions may change during this transition. When the organization was smaller, productivity could be measured by a few variables rather than a multivariate approach. As the organization gets larger, a multivariate model may emerge.

Individual performance can also be negatively impacted during this transition. Staff who had the skills to perform successfully in a smaller organization may not have the skills to perform in the larger organization. Changing them out or redefining their roles may result in stress for all involved as they were valued employees and now they may not be perceived that way by the new management. New employees may start under-performing as well because they came in full of hope and high expectations and then experience an organization that is giving mixed messages. The psychological impact of this is that these employees may start to be discouraged; feel helpless, angry, anxious, or depressed; lose focus; or engage in counterproductive communication and behavior, among many other negative psychological states.

As your organization goes through transitions like this, it will be helpful to keep these elements in mind when you encounter performance problems. Having a testable hypothesis is the first step to managing the changes.

Have a day filled with equanimity,

Robert A. Mines, Ph.D.
CEO & Psychologist

Reference
Adizes, Ichak. (1999). Managing Corporate Lifecycles. Santa Barbara, CA: Adizes Institute.

Psychology of Performance – 28: When the Leader Becomes Ill

I had the opportunity to observe an organization as its leader became seriously ill, recovered, then got ill again (different problem, serious again). While this was going on the organization was at a standstill on the strategic and executive level. Operationally, it still delivered what it was supposed to. But in the meantime, the board kept waiting for the CEO to get well. Strategic marketing initiatives were put on hold, revenue was diminishing, cash reserves were being used at an unprecedented rate, and the organization was eventually on the brink of extinction. This organization had been in existence for over 40 years. The board was long-standing. Staff had been with the organization for extended periods exceeding 8 plus years. So how did it get to this point? What were the psychological factors that could account for this? Could something have been done sooner?

Psychological Considerations:

Wait until so and so gets better. We will get back on track then…. (This did not happen).

Diffusion of responsibility. Staff did not have the authority or accountability, and as the Board of Directors was volunteers, they had no day-to-day authority. Everyone kept waiting for someone else to do something. Finally the President of the Board did step in.

Misinformation to the Board. The Board received information that key reports were completed and that action was being taken. This information was incorrect. Nothing had been done and the board had not done “truth through verification.”

Negative momentum in the community. The community resources were being compromised by rumors that the organization was going out of business which then created more momentum for it to go out of business. Damage control was started months after it could have been.

Not my problem. Ultimately, many individuals said, “It’s not my problem.”  They quit the Board to allegedly avoid liability, did not roll their shirt sleeves up to help raise revenue, and became indifferent or apathetic.

Could this have been avoided? Absolutely. Hindsight is always 20/20. What is useful about this case study is for all of us to start pressing earlier for the plan B, C, or D when a leader becomes ill. It is important to have sufficient bench strength for staff to step up when a leader is ill, even if they are coming back. How does your staff and organization measure up?

Have a day filled with kindness,

Robert A. Mines, Ph.D.
CEO & Psychologist

Psychology of Performance – 27 Managers’ Accountability for Systems

Elliott Jaques defined the accountability of a manager as the person responsible for providing adequate systems for the supervisors and front line employees to be able to do their job to the best of their ability. Everyday, we get to consult, weigh in, design, or support employees who work with incompatible systems: data bases that do not talk to each other and require work arounds, work flows that bog down due to contraints that bottle-neck the work flow, and individuals who hoard information and dole it out sparingly as examples.

The cost to the organization and the individual employees is significant. The costs are incurred in increased payroll, individual psychological and physical distress, turnover, absenteeism, or apathy and indifference.

Often, the organization either: has not done adequate captial allocation planning for operations systems at the facility, plant, or hardware/software levels; has “done it this way for so long” that managers and employees have forgotten (usually due to banging their head against wall too many times in frustration) to question their assumptions on a regular basis; or the manager does not have the cognitive complexity (strata 3 or above in Jaques’ model) to be able to think systemically as well as other factors beyond the scope of this blog.

Dan Segal defined a system as an integrated flow of information and energy. How are your systems functioning? If not optimally, what and when are you going to do something about it so your organizational and individual employee performance is improved?

Have a day filled with integration,

Robert A. Mines, Ph.D.
CEO & Psychologist

Psychology of Performance – 25 “Heart”

There was an interesting documentary on the New England Patriots’ quarterback Tom Brady, called The Brady 6. What made it interesting was the analysis of the six quarterbacks drafted above Tom Brady in his draft year and what happened to them. As you may know, Tom Brady has been the league MVP, won the Super Bowl three times so far, passed for the most touchdowns in one season, and almost led his team to a perfect season. He was viewed as too slow, too small, could not throw a perfect spiral, and coming out of college was viewed with suspicion because his college coach at Michigan alternated him and a younger quarterback early in the year his senior season. Brady had to bail out the coach for this decision on more than one occasion that year. Despite being a winner throughout his career, Brady was not drafted until the sixth round. The rest, as they say, is history.

What the experts missed, according to one football expert, was they did not look at Brady’s “heart.” They missed his ability to deliver under pressure. They missed his personal self-talk that said, “I need to win my position every day in practice.” These are intangibles, so to speak, in the area of the psychology of performance. Brady plays every day as if he might be cut. He embodies the belief that “you are as good as today’s hunt.” How many businesses and employees are coasting, getting by without getting better each day?

Remember, where your mind goes the energy goes. I hope you make the most out of today’s hunt. I intend to.

Robert A. Mines, Ph.D.
CEO & Psychologist

Psychology of Performance – 24 Suffering, Attachment, and Business Performance

This month’s blog theme has been on addictions. This post will focus on a related theme of how suffering comes from attachment in business performance. In our consultations through BizPsych (www.bizpsych.com), we have the opportunity to observe how businesses underperform due to attachments (beliefs) that no longer serve the business. These attachments can be rigidly or compulsively (similar to an addiction, but not the same) held on to or may range from a subtle “this is how we do business,” to “they are loyal employees and I don’t care if they do cause trouble or do not perform as well as the others do.”

So how does suffering occur in a business when an unexamined belief is allowed to operate because it is a “sacred cow” in the organization or because of some other psychological phenomena in the mind of leadership? In one example, the organization (belief 1) had a large contract that was supposed to start in 6 months; the leadership (belief 2) made a decision to borrow money to increase the staffing (belief 3) in the production arena. This occurred and the contract did not materialize. The contract implementation was delayed a year. In the meantime, the organization was overstaffed and now the staffing level was viewed by some as necessary (belief 4). What actually was happening was that the net profit performance was not only compromised, the organization was losing money due to carrying too much overhead without corresponding productivity.

The suffering was occurring on many levels. The organization was suffering from inadequate cash, too much debt, and staff morale problems. The leadership was suffering because of a “sacred cow” belief that they had invested too much in the staff to let some of them go. The staff was suffering because they were fielding complaints from vendors who were not being paid in a timely manner. All of which could be traced to unexamined core beliefs that lead to the behavior observed by us.

The solution was to examine the core beliefs, challenge them, and for leadership to make the hard business decisions they had to in order to keep the organization viable even if it meant giving up the beliefs that they were going to get bigger and more profitable if only the big account would start.

What suffering is occurring in your organization because of attachments to a belief or set of assumptions that do not have data to support them?

Have a day filled with love and happiness,

Robert A. Mines, Ph.D.
CEO & Psychologist

Psychology of Performance – 23 Shanti Bhavan

As many of you know I am functioning as an ambassador of the firm doing volunteer consultation at Shanti Bhavan, a school for very poor children in India who would have very few opportunities in life had they not been admitted to Shanti Bhavan.

I will provide some video/audio of the piano recital put on by the students of our former colleague Allegra Boggess and photos of the first ever Shanti Bhavan chess tournament, plus the two daily martial arts classes.

We had 97 children participate in the chess tournament. The chess boards range from those purchased at local stores to paper boards and pieces that were homemade. In addition, there are some pictures of the tae kwon do and jujitsu classes I am teaching. The classes are taught in the grass for falls and throws and on the clay/rock soccer fields – no mats, no air conditioning, and Frisbees for kicking pads.

From a performance stand point two important elements are represented in these examples.  First, high levels of performance can be achieved with few resources and making the best of those available. Second, enthusiasm, passion, and persistence, along with appreciation for the opportunity, can carry one to heights one may not have dreamed of.

www.shantibhavanonline.org

Namaste,

Robert A. Mines, Ph.D.
CEO & Psychologist

Psychology of Performance – 21: Dreams, Vision and Goals

Many times our performance is held back by our assumptions and beliefs that have not been reviewed in awhile.  In his book, The 4-Hour Workweek, Tim Ferriss outlines a series of questions and action items that guide one through the dreaming, visioning, and goal setting process that is necessary for execution and performance.

The questions are:

What would you do if there were no way you could fail; if you were 10 times smarter than the rest of the world?

• Ferriss suggests creating two timelines, one covering 6 months and another covering 12.
• On each timeline, list up to five things you dream of having, doing, and being. No judgments, just list them.
• Drawing a blank? Many people do not have defined dreams that they are being held back from.

What would you do, day to day, if you had $100 million in the bank?

What would make you most excited to wake up in the morning to another day?

• List one place to visit, one thing to do before you die, one thing to do daily, one thing to do weekly, and one thing you have always wanted to learn.

What does “being” entail doing?

• Convert each being into a doing to make it actionable.

What are the four dreams that would change it all?

• Use the timelines to highlight the four most exciting or important dreams from your list.
• Determine the cost of these dreams and calculate your Target Monthly Income (TMI) for both timelines.  The worksheet and calculator can be found at the website: http://www.fourhourworkweek.com

Determine three steps for each of the four dreams in just the 6-month timeline and take the first step now.

Many times performance suffers because we fail to act and act now. Tim Ferriss is a master at challenging assumptions, continuously learning, and being his own best guinea pig in his life journey.  You can be the same for yourself.  Remember, no one can do your pushups for you.

Have a day filled equanimity,

Robert A. Mines, Ph.D.
CEO & Psychologist

Psychology of Performance – 20 – Early Attachment and Adult Performance Implications

Our early attachments to our primary caregivers may have significant implications for our ability to perform throughout our lives. The good news is that there are mindfulness techniques that can help integrate the information and energy associated with the various attachment categories so that as adults our performance does not have to be limited by the early learning associated with these attachments.

Siegel &  Hartzell, M.Ed., (2003, p.102-112) in their book, Parenting from the Inside Out, describe four patterns of attachment derived from the work of researchers such as Mary Ainsworth, Mary Main, and Erik Hesse, among others. As infants we most likely have one of the following patterns (which can vary by caregiver): Secure, Insecure-Avoidant, Insecure-Anxious/Ambivalent, or Insecure-Disorganized.

Secure attachments are described as having a parental interactive pattern characterized by the parent being emotionally available, perceptive, and responsive. The child sees the parent as being a source of comfort during times of distress, a safe haven, being available, and a secure base. This creates a sense of well being from which the child can go into the world to “explore and make new connections with others” (p.104).

Insecure-Avoidant patterns are associated with parents who are emotionally unavailable, imperceptive, unresponsive, and rejecting. These children avoid closeness and emotional connections to the parent (p.104).

Insecure-Ambivalent patterns are described as having parents who are inconsistently available, perceptive, and responsive and intrusive. The child cannot depend on the parent for attunement and connection. The child develops a sense of anxiety and uncertainty about whether they can depend on their parents (p.105).

Insecure-Disorganization patterns are created by parents who are frightening, frightened, chaotic, disorienting, and alarming to the child. This pattern is often associated with abuse. This creates a situation in which abuse is incompatible with a sense of security. The child develops coping responses that lead to difficulties in regulating emotions, trouble in social communication, difficulties with academic reasoning tasks, a tendency toward interpersonal violence, and a predisposition to dissociation – a process in which normally integrated cognition becomes fragmented (p. 106).

The good news is that for those with insecure attachments there are mindfulness techniques described in Siegel’s book, Mindsight, that can help the individual integrate the insecure attachment memories, patterns, and information in a manner that frees them up from “automatically or habitually” engaging in the pattern in their adult relationships.

The implications of early attachment for the psychology of performance are significant. Secure attachments allow for a base of security which in adulthood can manifest in collaborative interactions in the business environment, for example. The social psychology of group performance is enhanced when members can communicate directly and problem solve from a position of trust. Contrast this with an avoidant attachment pattern in which a team member has a fundamental approach to relationships that is one of distrust and self-reliance. This team member is there in name only and will be perceived as not cooperating, being a maverick, and “not playing well in the sand box.” The anxious attachment style may show up as an accommodating or pleasing style. This person sacrifices their own opinions so as to fit in, may frequently be checking in with the “boss” for approval and reassurance. The group loses this person’s gifts as the person may give in rather than be proactive on a decision point. The disorganized attachment style may contribute to significant disruption in a work group or team’s performance because the person will become overwhelmed during a conflict with either a chaotic or rigid response, either of which can disrupt the flow of energy and information needed for higher performance.

The culture of an organization often is set by the leader of the organization. Part of the definition of culture is the shared set of assumptions as to how we do business. From this, it is possible to see how the impact of the leader’s attachment could influence the culture of the organization. For example, if the leader has an anxious attachment, the organization may have a strong press to accommodate customers, resulting in a high emphasis on customer service which could range from being useful to problematic if taken to a dysfunctional level.

Have a day filled with mindful integration,

Robert A. Mines, Ph.D.
CEO & Psychologist