| All organizations want to know how to improve | | | | leadership and team management. |
| both employee and management performance | | | | 3. Get coaching/mentoring/supervision/collegial or |
| and productivity. Continuous improvement through | | | | professional advice |
| performance management techniques is a basic | | | | Information and support from others who have |
| beginning. | | | | greater know-how, know-what or know-who |
| But no one has to settle for merely improving, | | | | (contacts) or have direct power to help achieve |
| when he/she can attain excellence -- performing | | | | goals that might otherwise be out of reach. |
| well above average -- easily and effectively. | | | | 4. Practice, practice, practice |
| I call the concept of performance that goes | | | | Practice what they learned in school, practice the |
| above and beyond excellence (or excellence that | | | | skills they developed from training. Do direct |
| is repeated and maintained) "superperformance." | | | | research. Constantly refine, correct, improve. |
| The superperformance concept arises from the | | | | Nothing improves without practice. |
| combination of the words "super" and | | | | 5. Create new knowledge and skills and share |
| "performance" to create the idea of exceptional, | | | | them. |
| extraordinary, excellent or superior ability, | | | | As they continuously learn, research and practice, |
| accomplishment, achievement, functioning, | | | | new ideas and connections occur. |
| productivity, proficiency and/or skill. This definition | | | | Superperformers record, develop and share those |
| applies to both organizations and individuals. And | | | | ideas and connections through writing, speaking, |
| the goal of superperformance is to perform at | | | | coaching, teaching and/or mentoring. |
| the "super" level reliably, repeatedly and | | | | Although I said earlier that anyone can attain and |
| persistently. | | | | maintain excellence "easily," I did not say |
| People who want to improve their performance | | | | "magically" or "effortlessly." Learning and practice |
| and productivity actively and continuously: | | | | can be broken down into daily segments that |
| 1. Pursue educational opportunities | | | | make excellence an almost forgone conclusion, |
| They get as much formal education as they can | | | | but it does take time and commitment to attain |
| afford -- college, professional school, technical | | | | that excellence and maintain it to the point of |
| school, trade school. They also engage in lifelong | | | | superperformance. |
| continuing education: Reading books, articles, | | | | If you want to achieve excellence -- and move |
| research papers. Attending seminars, webinars. | | | | beyond it to superperformance, start now and |
| Taking web tutorials. Watching videos, educational | | | | keep going until it is yours. Keep learning, growing, |
| TV presentations. Listening to audio tapes/CD's. | | | | practicing and sharing your accumulating skills and |
| 2. Get training | | | | knowledge day by day. One day, not so long |
| Learn both hard skills related directly to work and | | | | from now, you'll find you are a superperformer. |
| soft skills such as organizational communication, | | | | |