"Show Me Performance!"

By Allyn Cutts, President
Cutts Group, llc

"You're only as good as your last event." These words from a prestigious South Florida caterer apply to any industry and highlight an important paradigm for today: Performance Counts!

In fact, according to business gurus like Tom Peters, performance counts for all. But in today's information and service-based economy, performance is more difficult to pinpoint. We all know it when we see it or experience it, but how do we achieve it? What factors drive and sustain top performance?

After studying hundreds of corporations, government agencies and not-for-profit organizations around the world, leading analysts-including Tom Peters-agree that top performance is a combination of task oriented competencies, or "hard skills," and emotionally based competencies, or "soft skills." And-- are you ready for this? -the ultimate indicators for performance are the soft skill sets. In fact, most job firings are related to lack of soft skill competencies.

What Matters Most

Identifying the relationship between performance and soft skill competency is a new concept. Until recently, there was no research at all in this area. Now, studies such as those outlined in Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goldman, confirm what Mr. Goldman calls an astonishing fact, "in determining star performance in every field, emotional intelligence (soft skills) matters twice as much as IQ or technical expertise."

The ability to program a computer or read a blueprint are hard skills; self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy for others and time management are competencies dependent on soft skills. Does this help explain why your IT department is a mess, even though your lead designer is a technical genius? Or why those weekly reports from the hotshot account executive are always late?

As workplaces have transitioned from a manufacturing-based economy into an information/communication/service-based economy, factors like teamwork, cooperation, consistency and accountability increase in importance. Traditional ways of viewing performance as relating to a single dimension, task ability, are no longer valid. Interpersonal skills-the "softer" side of job behavior-must be added for complete perspective.

The higher an individual's level of responsibility in an organization, the more critical soft skill competency becomes. In fact, in today's competitive environment, it's unlikely an individual will rise in an organization without strong personal management and interpersonal skills. Superior performance is proven to be dependent on how well a person handles himself and others. How do you identify and evaluate something as intangible as "soft skills?"
How do you and your organization rate on the performance scale?

Where Are You Now?

It's important to know how you and your organization are doing---every minute of every day. Take time, at least once a year, to thoughtfully examine performance of individuals within the organization, and the organization as a whole, in relation to your goals. For every job or organization, there are basic capabilities, or soft skill competencies, essential for success. A performance analysis is the "gap-finder" that measures the distance from where you are to where you want, or need, to be.

You must work with top assessment and evaluative tools designed specifically to measure and provide accurate feedback for soft skill competencies. Cutts Group has devoted the past 25 years to testing, evaluating and rating the best performance assessment tools worldwide. We provide a valuable shortcut to top-quality, reliable tools through our trademarked process, CriterionOne(tm). Remember, periodic assessments are benchmark moments in what must be an ongoing, self-renewing process of improvement.

Clearing The Path

Once assessments are complete and evaluated, you should be able to quickly identify performance roadblocks within your organizations. Removing those roadblocks will likely take more time-and more effort. Other organizations have found it helpful to open clear honest dialogues about:

• the essential job functions each individual is expected to perform, followed by the soft skill competencies needed for each function
  
  
• the key ways each job contributes to the goals of the team or organization as a whole
  
  
• how performance will be measured from this point on
  
  
• ways to spot, then remove or overcome, small roadblocks before they become large obstacles

Continuing The Journey

Keep in mind; top performance is like the horizon. As you advance towards it, it moves further into the distance. It seems impossible to get "there" because there is always more distance to travel. You can always improve the full range of your skills and competencies.

The 23 Soft Skills Essential
For Hard Results

We've listed here 23 identifiable soft skills necessary for success. In subsequent articles, we'll delve into each with provocative questions to jump-start your thinking. As you evaluate levels of competency within your organization, you'll learn a lot about yourself and your own potential for top performance.

1. Leadership
2. Employee Development/Coaching
3. Teamwork
4. Conflict Management
5. Interpersonal Skills
6. Problem Solving
7. Creativity/Innovation
8. Written Communication
9. Customer Service
10. Flexibility
11. Goal Orientation
12. Planning/Organization
13. Diplomacy
14. Personal Effectiveness
15. Presenting
16. Management
17. Negotiation
18. Persuasion
19. Empathy
20. Continuous Learning
21. Futuristic Thinking
22. Decision Making
23. Self-Management

The journey towards excellence performance is endless. The conscious striving to get there is rich with rewards. We can help. For more information, contact Cutts Group at (800) 482-7280, or (610) 437-4106 outside the U.S. and Canada or visit us on the web at http://www.cuttsgroup.com.

The Cutts Group partners with clients who are committed to continuous growth. We provide the organizational development, team building, employee selection, executive coaching, and sales training resources our clients demand for measurable results and return on investment. Satisfaction and investment are always guaranteed, always.