Page 66 - Performance Leadership

Chapter 4 Performance Leadership Framework • 55

the heart. Take for instance strategy maps, DuPont schemas, or EVA.
These methodologies aim to align people toward improving the bot-
tom line—profitability and maximizing shareholder value. But to
which extent does that capture what motivates people to go the extra
mile, to put in the extra effort every day, to excel in what they are
doing? How many people get up in the morning and as a first
thought think, “Today is the day when, yet again, I am going to max-
imize shareholder value”? Unless you have a controlling share in
your business—and even then, chances are your motivation comes
from elsewhere. Bottom-line results such as profits and market share
are merely the oxygen for an organization, a means to live instead of
the purpose. 2
Yet motivation is a key driver for success. A motivated person displays
positive behaviors, has an eye on the business, and gives to the organ-
ization an important emotion: a passion to perform. Napoleon already
acknowledged this when he said, “The moral is to the physical as three
is to one.” Meaning, a well-motivated force could achieve more than
a larger (three times larger) less motivated one.
It’s when you start to use the four dimensions of personal develop-
ment, as described by Stephen Covey in The Seven Habits of Highly
3
Effective People, and translate them to performance management, that
the questions on what the right strategies are and what truly motivates
people pop up. And the answers, for that matter, as well.

In The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Covey describes the four dimen-
sions of how to “sharpen the saw” by reflecting, taking the time to be ready,
instead of being too busy sawing the tree with a blunt saw. To reflect and to
develop, you need to:
• Mind the physical dimension (the body): leading a healthy life that provides
the energy for development.
• Make smart decisions about yourself and understand where you stand in your
life and environment: the mental dimension (the mind).
• See the importance of the emotional/social dimension (the heart), building
meaningful social relationships and making decisions because they are right.
• Pay attention to the spiritual dimension (the spirit), figuring out what we want
to be remembered for, and have added to the world or at least our environment.