How often have you said or heard one of your managers say, “I would love to be able to increase my teams’ performance?” If increasing your team’s performance is your goal, you may be chasing the wrong target. Performance is a by-product rather than a goal in itself,  as with happiness in a relationship.

Ever wonder why we have different strengths? Why no one person can ever master all the attributes they need to be good at all the qualities required from a leader? I was on a boat ride, enjoying the scenery, and it struck me. We are designed for community. We aren’t meant to be masters of everything.

My first supervisory role provided me with a foundational leadership lesson that I have never forgotten. I was concerned for those in my charge because they had a history of conflict and were constantly challenging their supervisors. They were long term employees with valuable intellectual history, providing information services to the larger organization…and they were unhappy.

In the late ’80’s and early ’90’s talk of considering your people’s purpose would’ve been seen as soft.  Too nurturing for the hard world of business…where decisions were; “Just business. Not personal”. The mid ’90’s brought a realisation that connecting individuals’ purpose with the corporate purpose increased engagement.  The focus was on influencing to create that alignment.

If you can’t measure it, it doesn’t exist.  Brené Brown is a researcher who believed this to be true.  In our organisations we have many who hold to this maxim.  Yet, on another level, we know that there are things – messy, intangible things – that can’t be measured…at least not quantitatively.