In a recent study featured by Harvard Business Review a manager was cited who routinely asked his employees the above question in their performance evaluation. Those who had trash heaps of “good efforts gone awry” were rewarded and encouraged to continue to have courage to forge ahead. Those who didn’t (aka “small trash piles”) were admonished to aim higher, push harder and take more initiative and risk.

What’s the rationale behind such a “reckless” question? Isn’t it better to “manage by objective” and handout trophies for spectacular performance?

Let’s cut to the chase…if you want to raise a workforce that’s safe, slow, incremental and perfectionist – YES; if you want a learning and innovative organization that takes risk…and yes, sometimes fails spectacularly…BUT reaches far beyond the current paradigm – NO.

Why? Just think of the chef’s kitchen – vegetable peelings, pots, pans, dishes…or the artist’s studio with pictures, sketches, drawings, crumpled papers…

An old German saying captures it well: “wherever you cut wood, you’ll find sawdust.” In other words “trash” (aka failure) will happen whenever serious work is being done. It means new things are being tested, risk is being taken, learning is happening.

Here’s the bottom line – there’s no great performance and no breakthrough unless there’s trial & error, risk & failure (if so, it’s being hidden). Every failure is a step closer to success. If you don’t have a good-sized trash heap you’re not stretching far enough.

So as we’re just coming out of the “January review- & objective setting- season,” I challenge you to have courage to ask the “trash pile question.” Ask yourself…your spouse…your children… your subordinates. Help them recover from the shock of the question by breaking through the existing “performance paradigm paralysis” and framing the “trash heap” positively.

What‘s being learned? What should we try next? How could it lead to the next iteration of progress?…what if it ends up in the trash heap again?…some of it will – guaranteed!…but, so what! – we’ll try hard, learn, keep moving, one failure closer to success – GO for it!

Picture: theramtimetimes

Judging from the widely proliferated “people-are-our-greatest-asset-vision statements,” the importance of people and their critical linkage to an organization’s success would appear to be a “generally accepted management principle.“ However, based on the following poll and its very sobering findings, there’s either a fundamental disconnect between “talk and walk” (i.e. we’re not serious) or the methods predominantly used in companies are largely ineffective (traditional tactics are not working). Which is it?…I’m interested to hear your viewpoint. Either way it represents a monumental opportunity for improvement and a potential source of competitive advantage for those that can “get it right.”

The poll is based on the responses of 23,000 U.S. residents employed full time within key industries and across functional areas. It was conducted by the research organizations of Harris Poll and FranklinCovey.

• “Only 37% said they have a clear understanding of what their organization is trying to achieve and why.
• Only 1 in 5 were enthusiastic about their team’s and organization’s goals.
• Only 1 in 5 workers said they have a clear line of sight between their tasks and their team’s and organization’s goals.
• Only half were satisfied with the work they have accomplished at the end of the week.
• Only 15% felt that their organization fully enables them to execute key goals.
• Only 15% felt they worked in a high-trust environment.
• Only 17% felt their organization fosters open communication that is respectful of differing opinions and that results in new and better ideas.
• Only 10% felt that their organization holds people accountable for results.
• Only 20% fully trusted the organization they work for.
• Only 13% have high-trust, highly cooperative working relationships with other groups or departments.”

Source: Forbes.com

Picture: expertaccess.cincom.com

For all organizational leaders who are interested in having highly engaged employees the following is invaluable and practical. Five years ago the Gallup research group did an extensive study covering 125 million people in 189 countries that concluded on the following 12 questions that are “the best predictors of employee and workgroup performance.” Want to know if your people are engaged? – ask them!…or bring it a little closer to home and ask YOURSELF. What are the answers? What resonates? Any conclusions?

Gallup’s Twelve Questions 

1. Do I know what is expected of me at work?
2. Do I have the tools and the equipment I need to do my work right?
3. At work, do I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day?
4. In the last seven days, have I received recognition or praise for doing good work?
5. Does my supervisor, or someone at work, seem to care about me as a person?
6. Is there someone at work that encourages my development? 
7. At work, do my opinions seem to count?
8. Does the mission/purpose of my company make me feel my job is important? 
9. Are my co-workers committed to doing quality work?
10. Do I have a best friend at work?
11. In the last six months, has someone at work talked to me about my progress?
12. This last year, have I had opportunities to learn and grow?

Picture: http://blogs.law.harvard.edu