Page 145 - Hard Goals

136 HARD Goals

Now turn to the high performers and jot down some of
the characteristics that distinguish them from everyone else.
If you’re having trouble identifying your high performers, just
think about the people you turn to when things get tough, the
ones who come through, no matter what. If you could choose
work colleagues like you used to choose kids for kickball, no
question about it, you’d choose these folks fi rst.
So what does your list look like? When I do this as a quick
group exercise, I typically get lists that describe low performers
using descriptors like these: negative, me-fi rst, they drag their
feet, do the bare minimum, gossip, stir up trouble, dramatic,
bring problems instead of solutions, never volunteer, more con-
cerned with getting credit than getting things right, make excuses
and blame others, bristle at getting feedback, just to name a
few. The high-performer lists include descriptors like these: they
always give 100 percent, they don’t just identify problems—they
solve them, they teach others how to be better, stay calm under
pressure, positive attitude, embrace change, always looking for
ways to improve, and so forth.
What stands out from these lists is that overwhelmingly
the characteristics that defi ne both high and low perform-
ers are attitudinal, not intellectual. When you really stop to
think about what separates high and low performance, it’s
rare to say, “Low performers are just lacking in ability.” Just
as it’s similarly infrequent to have somebody say, “High per-
formers are just smarter.” In fact, I guarantee you that at
least some of the best people you work with have lower IQs
than some of the worst people you work with. Believe it or
not, there are some international chess masters with below-
average IQs.