MODERN LEADERSHIP
Four Ways to Create a High
Performance Workplace
By Anna-Lucia Mackay
I
n recent years there has been
a growing realisation within
organisations that there’s a
direct correlation between an
employee’s mindset and their
performance. In fact, there is
growing evidence to suggest that
the development of a person’s
mindset delivers more in terms
of employee performance than
qualifications, experience - and
incentives.
Mindsets can be defined as ‘A
way of thinking that determines
a person’s behaviour, outlook and
attitude’. How your people think
and feel will determine how they
go about their work, how engaged
they are and how committed they
are to you, the organisation and
their own goals.
Having conducted surveys,
performance assessments, oneon-one interviews and long term
case studies, it is clear that there
are a set of triggers associated
with sustained high performance
at work, both for individuals and
teams. These triggers point to
four management mindsets that
are responsible for generating
positive thoughts and beliefs in
42 ModernBusiness
April 2016
employees about the person who
leads them, their manager.
1
The Emotional
Intelligence Mindset
The manager who displays the
emotionally intelligent mindset
is a conscious role model. They
understand that how they go
about their work on a daily basis
will significantly impact and
influence the performance levels
of their people.
This manager consciously looks
for cues and signals from their
team through their actions,
responses, body language and
tone of voice. All of which provide
critical information on how
to manage each person more
effectively. For some managers,
this is second nature but for most,
it is a choice they must actively
make.
The first step in this journey is to
teach your managers to be Self
Aware. Self-awareness is about
having a clear perception of your
own personality, motivations,
needs and beliefs. Only once
your managers are self aware
can they start to more accurately
understand the behaviour of
others, which is key to raising
performance levels.
2
The Connection Mindset
High-performing employees
typically feel connected. This is
achieved through the manager
consciously connecting with
their people on many levels. This
mindset is often not achieved
however, as managers may
misunderstand the difference
between communication and
connection. In simple terms,
communication is sharing
information, whereas connection
is more about communicating
in such a way that some sort of
emotional bond is achieved. The
two main areas of connection for
a manager to aim for are:
1. Connection to the business
An employee’s ability to connect
with why they are doing the job
and what the business is trying to
achieve is far more motivating for
them in the long run.
2. Connection to the manager or
leader
The connection between manager
and employee will always come