Changing The Ratio Of Satisfactory To Exceptional Performers From 2:1 To 1:2

I asked a client to guesstimate the percentage of “exceptional”, “satisfactory” and “poor” contributors in a critical frontline role in his business. I was impressed by his claim that the business had no poor performers. The reason for this was, “We do not tolerate less-than-acceptable … underperformers are helped to achieve a satisfactory level of...

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What We Have Learnt From Leading Remotely With Legitimacy Workshops

Our lives have changed significantly over the last year, both personally and professionally. Organisations have had to navigate crises and uncertainty on a scale rarely seen before – without a template to follow. Some organisations have adapted and emerged stronger; others are struggling and are disappearing. As I’ve engaged with clients and organisations, it has...

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June 2021 – Question of the Month

Question of the Month: What is the best way of inculcating a desired set of values in an organisation? Answer: Legitimate Leadership is a strong advocate that the leadership of any organisation should develop a set of values which provide everyone in the organisation with clarity about what is important and valued, both within the organisation and...

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We All Make Mistakes – But Are They Good Or Bad Mistakes?

Mistake. The word invokes conflicting reactions in me: mostly positive sentiments synonymous with courage, learning and growth; but also, sometimes, outright contempt. All mistakes might offer the opportunity to learn, but nonetheless there are good mistakes and bad mistakes – and the difference has implications for managing performance in organisations. In consulting, there is much...

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Why True Leaders Never Blame Others (Or Circumstances)

COMMENT ON THIS ARTICLE BY WENDY LAMBOURNE, LEGITIMATE LEADERSHIP: Legitimate Leadership has a very practical and powerful tool that leaders can use to change in the first instance themselves, and thereafter their people, from what John Rex calls a “victim mindset” to a “responsible mindset”. This tool enables three shifts which together deliver a person...

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May 2021 – Question of the Month

Question of the Month: What should a manager do if the members of his/her team who produce the best results act like a law unto themselves? Answer: I had a case where a sales manager was having some difficulty with two people in his sales team. These two sales people were the top performers, consistently out-selling...

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Leading Remotely? Spend Less Time Managing, More Time Enabling

I have met many managers who cling tightly to the belief that people need to be managed. One manager I worked with held so tightly to this belief that even when the rest of the organisation had implemented remote working policies he told his team that the new policy literally didn’t apply to them. We...

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April 2021 – Question of the Month

Question of the Month: Why do managers in organisations generally not hold their people accountable? Answer: When I have asked this question of managers, they have typically given me a list of reasons which fall into the categories of Willing (the leader lacks the courage or is conflict-averse or wants to be liked too much, or he...

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When Leading Remotely, Don’t Miss The Opportunity To Commit To Your Values

The role that organisational values play in defining the way people behave in modern organisations is frequently overstated. It’s not that values shouldn’t play a leading role (we certainly believe they should), it’s simply that in most organisations they don’t. There’s no doubt that aligning organisation behaviours and practices with a set of aspirational values...

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I Like You – Who Cares?

COMMENT ON THIS ARTICLE BY WENDY LAMBOURNE, LEGITIMATE LEADERSHIP: Care, from a Legitimate Leadership viewpoint, is a matter of intent or motive. For those in authority at work, care is about whose interests are being served. Leaders who care are in the relationship to “give” to their people not to “get” something out of them....

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Changing The Ratio Of Satisfactory To Exceptional Performers From 2:1 To 1:2

I asked a client to guesstimate the percentage of “exceptional”, “satisfactory” and “poor” contributors in a critical frontline role in his business. I was impressed by his claim that the business had no poor performers. The reason for this was, “We do not tolerate less-than-acceptable … underperformers are helped to achieve a satisfactory level of...

View full article