Contagious Performance Improvement℠

Today, I will to introduce you to a concept I pioneered that has become the goal of everything I teach, coach, and speak about: Contagious Performance Improvement℠.

Are the right people leading your people? If you're not completely confident in your answer, I invite you to register for my complimentary Executive Discovery Session, and let's find out together.

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Welcome to First Time Leaders Accelerated. Leading people is the most important responsibility in the world, yet 60% of first-time leaders fail. The good news it's preventable. Incorrect leader selection distresses your people, increases your operating costs, and erodes your culture experience. Drawing on more than four decades of transforming leaders, I share concise, practical solutions you can apply immediately to become a more effective people-centered leader. This podcast is for first-time leaders and those responsible for hiring, selecting, and developing them. I'm Timothy Dean Smith, your host and coach. Each month, we'll solve a leader challenge together. Let's get started. Today I want to introduce you to a concept I pioneered that has become the goal of everything I teach, coach, and speak about. Contagious performance improvement. Before we discuss contagious performance improvement, we need to understand culture. People often describe culture as the way we do things around here. While this is particularly true, I believe culture is much deeper. Culture is the personality of your organization. It is shaped by how your leaders behave, not simply by what they believe. Culture is reflected in the unwritten rules influencing how your people communicate, solve problems, make decisions, treat one another, and celebrate success. It is developed one conversation at a time. I often say the true test of a culture is how your people feel Sunday evening about Monday morning. If your people look forward to Monday, you are building something special. If they dread Monday, your culture deserves your attention. Now, back to contagious performance improvement. Every people centered leader should strive to establish contagious performance improvement, the future-proof culture your people are proud of and competitors envy. Contagious performance improvement is a future-proof culture where your people consistently experience being appreciated, inspired, and fulfilled. When your people experience these three feelings, something remarkable happens. Performance improvement spreads naturally from person to person, team to team, and eventually throughout the entire organization. Your leaders are no longer carrying the organization on their shoulders. Instead, your leaders and teams create the future together rather than reacting to it. Trust becomes stronger, innovation becomes normal, adaptability becomes part of the organization's DNA. Your people anticipate change instead of fearing it. Contagious improvement becomes natural rather than an occasional initiative. A great culture is not difficult to recognize. You know it when you experience it. Unfortunately, I have heard leaders say, we don't have a culture. There really is no such thing as being culturalist. Every organization has a culture. The question is whether it was developed intentionally or by default. You do not get the culture you proclaim. You get the culture you promote, demonstrate, and recognize. If you permit it, you promote it. Another important reality is most organizations do not have one culture. They often have hidden cultures, sometimes called subcultures or microcultures. While your organization's stated values may be sound impressive, the day-to-day experiences can vary dramatically. One of the simplest ways to uncover these hidden cultures is to ask new teammates, what has been confusing to you? What has been more difficult than you expected? Fresh eyes often reveal cultural realities longtime teammates no longer notice. People also ask me how to measure culture. My answer is simple. Start by empathically listening. Observe how your people interact and treat one another. Notice whether they communicate openly, solve problems collaboratively, and celebrate each other's successes. Then verify what you observe using my old school 100% paper culture self-assessment. Culture should be something you can feel and something you can measure. Remember, culture should never be an afterthought. Culture is developed in every conversation, decision, recognition, and behavior you permit. As leaders, you have a choice. You can build a culture by design or allow it to develop by default. My recommendation is straightforward. Build a culture where your people feel appreciated, inspired, and fulfilled. Build a culture your people are proud of. Build a culture your competitors envy. Build contagious performance improvement. If you found my episode valuable, please share it with those responsible for selecting or hiring first-time leaders. I help organizations select the right people and prepare them to successfully transition into people-centered leaders for a lifetime. I have a parting question for you. Are the right people leading your people? If you're not completely confident in your answer, I invite you to register for my complimentary executive discovery session and let's find out together. Simply click Discovery Session Registration in the show notes, and I'll see you there. Until next time, remember, leading people is not just another responsibility, it is the most important responsibility in the world. I'm Timothy Dean Smith, your host and coach. Thank you for listening to the First Time Leaders Accelerated podcast. Take care.