3 Best Practices for Creating a Culture of Performance
By Carey Lohrenz
Most leaders and managers that I work with know about the benefits of having a performance-based culture.
What I am often asked is “How does my organization achieve this ‘High Performing Team Culture’?
Companies of any size can reap the rewards of a fighter pilot’s Culture of Performance by driving a culture focused on peak performance and execution. A rapidly changing environment isn’t a phenomenon that only fighter pilots face. With increasing health, energy, and education costs combined with increasing global competition, developing a strong Culture of Performance is essential for all organizations.
Here are 3 best practices that can help you lay the groundwork for High Performance within your organization.
- Define your Culture of Performance through actions. What we know to be true from both our military and corporate experience is that it starts at the top. Leadership needs to provide top-level support and define it through actions. Clearly communicating your vision for the Future Picture, and articulating how your team can align their efforts to help the organization achieve that vision is vital. It keeps your team engaged. As Douglas R. Conant, president and CEO of the Campbell Soup Company states, “You have to model the behavior; you have to be the change that you want from your company.”
- Manage and grow your organization by incorporating constant learning habits. A Culture of Learning, is a hallmark of carrier aviation. The ideas of learning before doing, learning during and learning after, guide all that we do. The Debrief is an essential part of our learning after doing process. Quick wins can come from sharing what we know in order to drive peak performance and execution. Debriefing empowers your team, and accelerates learning.
- Instill your Culture of Performance by holding people accountable. Even though there is enormous individual and team effort within fighter squadrons, accountability is still paramount. Carrier aviation demands it, lives are at stake. Think about the collapse of AIG, Enron, WaMu. Individuals were not held accountable and the whole organization suffered. Pensions lost, jobs lost, security gone-all because a lack of accountability.
High Performance is not just a catchphrase but a way of life. Start with these 3 best practices to develop a Culture of Performance in your team today.
Carey Lohrenz is the author of the Wall Street Journal Best Seller “Fearless Leadership: High-Performance Lessons from the Flight Deck.”, a motivational speaker and leadership expert.
Carey has flown missions worldwide as a combat-mission-ready United States Navy F-14 Tomcat pilot. Her extensive experience operating in one of the world’s most challenging environments, an aircraft carrier, and her unique position as one of the first female combat pilots make her the perfect opening or closing inspirational keynote speaker for your corporate meeting or conference.
Carey graduated from the University of Wisconsin where she was a varsity rower, also training at the Pre-Olympic level. After graduation, she attended the Navy’s Aviation Officer Candidate School before starting flight training and her naval career. She is the mother of four kids, and is currently working on her Master’s in Business Administration in Strategic Leadership.