Four Fundamental Ways of Inducing Performance

In my time empowering and coaching leaders, I've come to see them and their organization utilizing the following four fundamental ways of inducing performance:

1) Incentives

2) Force (Control)

3) Meaningful Purpose 

4) Accountability 

I propose, when you look, every team is utilizing at least two if not all four to some degree. With less pay, no health insurance, limited time off, (i.e. poor incentives) more Purpose, Accountability, or Force are required or utilized in some combination. 

In a company / team where Force is the dominant way of inducing performance, often high incentives are required for people to tolerate and put up with a Force-centered culture. (i.e. “Do it or else.” “The boss is always right.” Patriarchal, aggressive.) 

Or a non-profit that is almost completely Meaningful Purpose-based compensates for having low Incentives and low Accountability.

The evidence shows that high-performing teams can be built with many combinations and configurations of these four. However, I propose that the most high-performing teams that last and also produce high levels of connection, fulfillment, and joy are teams that are primarily built around fulfilling Meaningful Purposes and high levels of individual and mutual Accountability.

All things being equal, a team with real, Meaningful Purpose and Accountability will outperform a team with extraordinary Incentives, grandiose Purpose, but low Accountability.

We’ve addressed creating Meaningful Purpose or Sourceful Intentions in earlier blogs. One of the significant challenges we see in working with leaders and teams is the question, “How do I engender accountability, i.e. how do I hold someone accountable without resorting to force?” I have definitely learned personally that you can never “make” someone accountable. So, engaging in the question, “How do I engender or empower or cultivate accountability?” is critical.

Similarly, if I work in an organization that’s mostly organized around meeting targets, i.e. numbers, the question, “How do I cultivate Meaningful Purpose for myself and for my team?” becomes of utmost importance. 

You can start this inquiry for yourself by honestly assessing what percentage of these four are at play in your own leadership and in your organization.

Moreover, I always find that Meaningful Purpose and Accountability begins with oneself. So you can also start by honestly engaging in the question, “What is MY Meaningful Purpose?” and, “Where and how am I Living True to it? Where and how am I NOT Living True to it?” And, “What does ‘being Accountable’ mean to me? Where am I BEING accountable and where am I not being accountable?” Talking about Accountability to others when I myself am not dealing with where I’m not being Accountable will not be effective. 

In the words of the great jazz musician, Charlie “Bird” Parker, “If you don’t live it, it won’t come out your horn.”