Defining Success Beyond the "Checklist"
by Teri Bosley, President

Whether you are discussing leadership, sales management, communication, or sales/service skills it is critical to visualize success in conjunction with your organization's goals and objectives. I am not simply referring to a numerical goal, but the "how" behind reaching that desired goal. To elevate this concept to the next level, consider the importance of clearly defining the "how" that leads to success. If you and your team can not readily articulate and demonstrate the "how", then it is truly happenstance as to whether the right behaviors are consistently demonstrated and repeatable. Ensuring success means that activities and coinciding behaviors are well defined and that these behaviors are continually practiced and evaluated. Everyone on your team should know exactly what success looks like… let's explore this concept further.

Let's begin with a well defined picture of success. For each position within the branch network it is essential to establish "success-oriented criteria" which range from structured activities to specific behaviors that make each activity both qualitative and productive. Most branch employees can tell you "what" they are supposed to do; however, it is when you consider the qualitative "how" that we frequently identify a breakdown. Even though many branch employees can pull out a checklist and tell you what their job entails…does it follow that they can perform each behavior with mastery? The answer to this question is "that we don't know until we can see that behavior demonstrated consistently in various situations".

This concept of behavioral consistency leads us to the second area of focus which is "practiced behaviors". Just because you give instruction regarding a specific behavior and even go as far as to demonstrate the behavior, it does not follow that your team members will be able to perform the behavior proficiently. Wouldn't it be great if an individual could simply listen to the sports announcers dissect every aspect of Tiger Woods' swing, watch him play a round (with replays demonstrating every angle of his swing in high definition slow motion), and then be able to perform at his level. Oh how all the golfers reading this article wish that indeed this were the case! How did Tiger Woods (or anyone great in his/her field) obtain mastery? It was through behavioral practice coupled with constructive feedback that he continued making adjustments to improve his performance. For Tiger, it is the coaching he has received from a young age that makes the difference and continues to keep him at the top of his game. The same is true for your team – the coaching they receive will directly enhance their behavioral performance.

While most managers would agree that the "practice" aspect of performance improvement is necessary, many managers tend to place more emphasis on "checking off the activities" without properly inspecting the quality of the behaviors. Managers would do well to adopt the Jerry Maguire philosophy of "show me" rather than "tell me" that you can perform a specific activity or behavior. The end result is to achieve behavioral excellence we must practice the behavior, receive constructive feedback, and then continue to practice

Reflect upon your last several coaching engagements and consider the following questions:

If your answers indicate behavioral coaching is a way of life in your branch, congratulations! If your coaching analysis reveals that the answers to these questions are not what you desire, then you are at a great place to begin improving your coaching conversations. Defining success is the first step followed by lots of practice and feedback, to becoming the best at "wowing" customers and creating a positive bottom-line impact!

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