Behaviors that Lead to Exceptional Performance · 2019-01-16 · About Neal . Neal Whitten is a...

Behaviors that Lead to Exceptional Performance

Neal Whitten, PMP

706-692-3910 E-mail: [email protected]

Website: www.nealwhittengroup.com

Copyright 2016 The Neal Whitten Group, Inc.

About Neal

Neal Whitten is a popular speaker, trainer, consultant, mentor, and best-selling author in the areas

of leadership and soft skills, project management, team building and employee development. He

has more than 35 years of front-line leadership, project management and human resource

experience.

In his 23 years with IBM, Neal held both project leader and management positions. He managed

the development of numerous software products, including operating systems, business and

telecommunications applications and special-purpose programs and tools. For three years, he also

managed and was responsible for providing independent assessments on dozens of software

projects for an assurance group. Neal is president of The Neal Whitten Group, which he founded

shortly after leaving IBM in 1993.

Neal is the author of seven books. His most recent book is the award-winning The Gift of

Wisdom: Lessons for a Lifetime. Other books include: Neal Whitten’s Let’s Talk! More No-

Nonsense Advice for Project Success—Over 700 Q&As, published by Management Concepts;

Neal Whitten’s No-Nonsense Advice for Successful Projects, also published by Management

Concepts; The EnterPrize Organization: Organizing Software Projects for Accountability and

Success, published by the Project Management Institute (PMI); Managing Software Development

Projects: Formula for Success, Second Edition, published by John Wiley & Sons; and Becoming

an Indispensable Employee in a Disposable World, published by Prentice Hall.

Neal is a frequent presenter and keynote speaker at conferences, seminars, workshops, and

special events. He has developed dozens of leadership, project management and personal

development classes, and presented to many thousands of people from across hundreds of

companies, institutions and public organizations. Neal has developed many popular eLearning

products available to the public including Are You Too Soft?; What Makes a Team Member

Valuable?; Dealing with Difficult People; and Actions to Build Your Self-Confidence. He has

written over 100 articles for professional magazines—over 80 for PM Network® magazine.

The services of The Neal Whitten Group include training a project or organization in the

adoption of an effective, productive work culture; training in areas of leadership, accountability

and professional maturity; and presenting to all members of an organization or company in being

on-point and deliberate in their lives so they can achieve a more effective, balanced and full life.

Popular workshops include “Behaviors that Lead to Exceptional Performance;” “Building and

Leading High Performance Dream Teams;” “No-Nonsense Advice for Successful Projects”

based on his best-selling PM book of the same name; “Let’s Talk! What Would You Do?” based

on another best-selling PM book, Neal Whitten’s Let’s Talk! – Over 700 Q&As!; and “Achieving

the Elusive Work-Life Balance.”

Neal is a member of PMI and has been a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) since

1992. He can be reached at The Neal Whitten Group, P.O. Box 1030, Jasper, GA 30143;

706-692-3910; E-mail: [email protected]. Websites: www.nealwhittengroup.com

and www.thegiftofwisdom.com.

Copyright © The Neal Whitten Group, Inc.

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.nealwhittengroup.com/

http://www.thegiftofwisdom.com/

Table of Contents

Course Slides . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Questionnaire for Self-Assessing Performance Maturity 27

Determine Top Three Behaviors to Improve . . . . . 39

Exercise Template: Performance Improvement Plans 43


© 2016 The Neal Whitten Group, Inc.

Behaviors thatLead to Exceptional

Performance

Neal Whitten, PMP

© 2016 The Neal Whitten Group, Inc. 2

Learning Objectives

Identify behaviors and actions

that lead to exceptional

performance

Learn how to be more on-point and deliberate as a leader

Assess your proficiency in key behaviors

Assess your satisfaction with your proficiency

Copyright © The Neal Whitten Group, Inc. 1


Learning Objectives (cont.)

Recognize your inhibitions that are holding you back from becoming your best

Identify your top behaviors with which to focus

Identify how to routinely improve and fine tune your performance


Seminar Audience For leaders who want to take their

performance to a higher level

For all members of a team or project in helping them become more productive, accountable and valuable contributors

2 Copyright © The Neal Whitten Group, Inc.


Special Note

If you want to be the

best, build the best

products, provide

the best services,

work in the best organization…

You get to define who you choose to be


Course Agenda Identify behaviors and actions

that lead to exceptionalperformance

Conduct self-assessment questionnaire about your behaviors—your performance maturity

Identify your top three behaviors to hone

Individual exercise: Honing a behavior

Options going forward

Individual exercise: Top three takeaways



But First…Dealing with difficult people


Dealing with Difficult People: Seven important points

They’re everywhere

Develop skills as soon as possible

Impact on your success

Everyone slips

Hardcore minority

Confront difficult behavior

Self-control is key

8



“Difficult person” Definition A person who routinely exhibits one or more of the following behaviors: Hard to work with or manage

Doesn’t play by conventional social or organizational rules

Is a disruptive or disturbingelement to others

9


Behaviors that a difficultperson might exhibit Misses commitments

Does not return phone calls or emails

Communicates rudely

Refuses to follow directives

Treats others abusively

Undermines team cohesion

Is overly aggressive and self-serving

Is overly passive and indifferent

Generally disrespects and does not play wellwith others

10



Why are some people difficult? Reacting to your behavior, however unintentional

you may have been

Lazy, uncaring

Without sufficient skills

Overworked

Unaware of their improper behavior

Reacting to some misfortune in theirprofessional or personal life

Insecure

Unhappy in life

Rebelling against some event from their recent ordistant past

11


What Can You Do When Faced with Difficult People? Don’t expect everyone to practice the Golden

Rule

In almost all cases, sincerely try to work it out before pursuing an escalation

You have the power to not allow difficult behavior to negatively affect your performance

You are responsible for your actions and commitments, regardless of the actions of those around you



Power Snippets:

Dealing with Difficult People


Essential Behaviors andActions that Lead to

Exceptional Performance



Break the Rules Occasionally Workplace rules are made for 95% of

employees 95% of the time. (I’m not talking about breaking ethical or legal rules.)

Pat McCarty*

Exceptional performance requirespushing the envelope

Being responsible sometimesmeans “xxxxxxx” people off.

Colin Powell

Example: Heidi in Germany

*The Gift of Wisdom: Lessons for a Lifetime, by Neal Whitten; www.thegiftofwisdom.com


Manage Dailyto the Top 3 Priorities If I were to put you on the spot…

To-do list

Work off in 2-3 days

What if more than one project?

What if never work on top 3 that day?

They define your value, contributions and, ultimately, your career

#1 reason why projects fail



Never Avoid Necessary Confrontation Always give problems the sense of urgency

and importance they deserve

How you deal with conflictdefines the difference in beingthe best or being a wannabee

Example: Compare 3 PMs Anthony – Sr PM

Beth – Masters in Project Management

Carlos – Sr PM

Conflict: Disagreement, variance or potential collision with another’s views or intentions


Define Who You Choose to Be Then muster the courage to walk the thought

You are what you perceive yourself to be; your vision becomes your reality

If one advances confidentlyin the direction of hisdreams and endeavors tolive the life he has imagined,he will meet with a successunexpected in commonhours.

Henry David Thoreau



Understand and Practice Empowerment Understanding your job

Taking ownership of

your job

Doing whatever is

necessary—within legal and ethical parameters


Think for Yourself Challenge tradition, authority and the status

quo in a professional and mature manner

Routinely question your own behaviors and actions

Example: Senior

Manager of Test

Quality

Timeliness



Routinely Practice Boldness & Courage …to be a consistently effective leader

Definition: Boldness and courage

Courage is rightly esteemed the first of human qualities—because it is the quality that guarantees all others. Winston Churchill

Your behaviors drive

your success


Do Not Allow What Others Think About You… …to be more important than what you think

about yourself

Listen for any helpful

snippets but remain in

control of you

Being liked is over-rated;being respected is not

Example: Parable of cat chasing its tail



Inspect What You Expect Don’t trust that things are progressing smoothly

or will work out okay on their own

Plan it, measure it and, if necessary, mitigate it

Frequently ask open-ended

and probing questions


Embrace Integrity in All that You Do Listen to your inner voice and treat it as the

wise and trusted friend it is

Integrity is not an option

Integrity is knowing the

difference between right

and wrong and doing the

right thing

When faced with a legal or ethical issue, you have choices…



Make Careful Decisions Your success becomes

the sum of the decisionsyou have chosen to make.

Sandra Harrsen*

Your day, month, life ends predominantly based on…



Meet Commitments Demonstrate that you are

reliable and deliver results

If a commitment must bereset, do so as soon aspossible while working withall affected parties

Your reputation, in large part, is a reflection of your ability to say what you will do… then doing it



Mind Your Own Business First

Behave as if you

own the business and

your business is defined by

your domain of responsibility

Example: If you own the

company and have 10 PMs


Live in Your Present Moments Don’t dwell on yesterday

Admit mistakes, learn

from them, apply those

lessons going forward…

and move on

Example: Conference call and recovering from a mistake

Guilt and worry: negative emotions



Don’t Make It Personal or Take It Personally It’s all about what’s best for the

business

Don’t allow others to turn a

business issue into a

personal issue

Example: PM and two team leaders disagreeing

More examples:

A coworker disagrees with you on an issue

People arrive late to your meeting

You lost your issue in an escalation meeting


Think Like a Leader Most cherished asset

It’s not about the ability

of those around you to

lead; it’s about your

ability to lead, regardless of what is

happening around you

Project “failed”

Not my fault

Nothing I could do

Effective leaders look for solutions



Treat Your Customer as If It Matters

…as if the future of your

company and your

employment rests upon

your ability to satisfy your

customer on the transaction being performed

right now

Customer versus project sponsor


Be a Good Actor Become the person you

choose to be

Learn to manage youremotions

Project self-confidence:a feeling of self-assurancethat can be boosted by the knowledge, skills and experiences that you have worked hard to acquire

Maintain a positive attitude

Remain composed under pressure



Be a Champion forLife Balance Don’t put off the important

and fun things until later.

Later can have a habit of

never arriving.Pat McCarty*

No defined right or wrong

Changes from year to year; even day to day



Be a Role Model Without fanfare or recognition, behave in a

manner that others can emulate

Your job is to live theexample

Model the behaviorsyou seek

“What would‘your name’ do?”



Treat Others as You Would Like to be Treated

You will be remembered and revered for how you made others feel.

People will forget whatyou said, people willforget what you did,but people will neverforget how you madethem feel.

Maya Angelou


Have Fun in Your Work If you are not having fun,

you likely are not doingthe best you can.

Fernando Arce*

Having fun is an essentialpart of your job

Make work fun. It’s mostlyyour mindset.




Make Your Boss Look Good Your job is to make your leaders look good—

which makes you look good

Focus more on the human aspect versus the inanimate commitments-to-a-project plan aspect


Seek Out a Mentor There is no better way

to learn a craft thanthrough a mentor

Most mentees knowright answer but needreassurance

Mentor is SME

Trust is vital

Your boss “might not” make a good mentor to you but is there to coach and counsel



Never, Never, Never… Never Give Up Perseverance can level the playing field

It’s not how smart you are; it’s what you do with what you have

If you quit, you will never know what you might have become


Evaluate Yourself Daily Always ask yourself how you can grow from

your daily experiences. Dr. Yung-Chen Lu*

Start each day:

Top 3 lessons to emulate

Top 3 lessons to grow fromand apply to new day

Only takes a few minutes

Continuous personal improvement




Take Responsibility for Your Performance and Career Don’t abdicate that responsibility to your

boss, your company, anyone else or anything else

If it is to be it is up to me(plan your next steps: training,mentoring, opportunities, etc.)

Submit weekly/monthly statusreports

Toot your own horn to your boss; nobody else wants to hear or cares


Power Snippets:Behaviors that Lead to

Exceptional Performance



Brainstorm

More Exceptional Behaviors


Assessing Your Behaviors Using the assessment tool Questionnaire for

Self-Assessing Performance Maturity, assess your performance maturity inthe important behaviorsintroduced in the course

Assess your satisfaction withyour performance maturity



What Do Your Scores Mean? Assessment rating: Performance maturity

4.5-5.0: Very impressive; role model caliber

3.5-4.4: Good with some areas to improve

2.5-3.4: Fair with many areas to improve

0.0-2.4: Weak; not contributing your fair share

Compare base score with satisfied score

Score is self-perception based

Establish baseline score;retake periodically

For reflection

For discussion


Determine Top Three Behaviors to Improve Identify most important behaviors

that you need to improve upon

Look at behaviors with Sat score of 3 or less

Eliminate behaviors with base scores and sat scores of 4 or higher

Use assessment tool called Determine Top Three Behaviors to Improve

Add brainstormed/personal behaviors to list of 27 behaviors already listed



Develop a Performance Improvement Plan Three steps to follow:

Step 1. Recognize the top three behaviors you wantto improve

Step 2. Consider alternative behaviors andrecognize their benefits

Step 3. Adopt the new behaviors

Use exercise tool called Exercise Template: Performance Improvement Plans

Example exercise


More Ideas to Improve Your Performance Proficiency Consult with your manager

Consult with a mentor

Take training classes

Attend relevant conferences

Research books and articles

Seek opportunities that stretch you



Options Upon Leaving this Seminar Use Exercise Template: Performance

Improvement Plans to help you focus on and improve your behaviors

Periodically retake the assessment instrument Questionnaire for Self-Assessing Performance Maturity to show incremental improvement

Request your boss, peer, mentor or other person to take the Questionnaire for Self-Assessing Performance Maturity to obtain a more objective assessment; then discuss the results

Routinely reference Power Snippets called Behaviors that Lead to Exceptional Performance


Identify Your

Top Three Takeaways



Information to Claim Your PDUs

Class: Behaviors that Lead toExceptional Performance

# PDUs: 7

Program activity #: 1513-500117

If in class of April 6, 2016, then use

this number!


Your career clock is ticking…

Now, go make a bigger

difference!


Questionnaire for Self-Assessing Performance Maturity This document is part of a Neal Whitten course called “Behaviors that Lead to Exceptional Performance.” You are free to use this information for your own training purposes providing that you make proper reference to the copyright, it is not used for resale and it is used internal to your organization or company.

- - - - - The purpose of this assessment instrument is primarily twofold:

1. Identify your performance maturity in the important behaviors introduced in this course, and

2. Identify how satisfied you are with your performance maturity in each of these behaviors.

View the assessment questions in this tool to be “starter” questions; that is, you are free to add, remove or modify these questions (in the print version) to better suit your desired culture, interests and needs. Here’s how to use this assessment instrument. There are 65 base questions. These questions have been designed to characterize your behavior in the 27 categories already discussed that represent important behaviors that the best performers demonstrate—the same 27 behaviors that are summarized in the Power Snippets called Behaviors that Lead to Exceptional Performance. Each of the 65 questions also has an “Are you satisfied with your score?” question. For each question, circle the number that best describes your answer. If you don’t have an opinion or you feel you do not have sufficient data to draw an opinion then mark “0” (No comment). Note, however, that responding “No comment” to either a base question or an “Are you satisfied with your score” question, will negatively affect your overall score. Therefore, do your very best to respond with a position that carries some measurement. After completing the questionnaire, add all the numbers for the base questions and divide by 65 (the number of base questions). The suggested meaning for your final number is described below. The final number—assessment rating—could also be viewed as a maturity rating for your performance. 4.5-5.0 Very impressive. Your performance is strong and you serve as a role model. 3.9-4.4 Good. Your performance is good with some areas to improve. 3.3-3.8 Fair. Your performance is fair with many areas to improve. 2.7-3.2 Weak. Your performance is marginal and needs to improve. 0.0-2.6 Poor. Your performance is subpar and you are not contributing your fair share. Now add all the numbers for the “Are you satisfied with your score” questions and divide by 65. Your final number should express your overall satisfaction of your current


performance assessment. A high satisfaction doesn’t necessarily mean that your performance is strong; it could mean that you are satisfied with your assessment value at this point in time. However, if your assessment value is less than high, then you have some work to do to become a stronger performer. This assessment is not precise and obviously has some subjectivity since it is self-perception based. However, the overall assessment has value in providing a general range or view of your performance. The assessment value is also helpful to use as a baseline and periodically retake the assessment with the goal of improving your overall assessment values. Most importantly, however, the assessment provides a great tool for your own reflection and possibly to discuss with your manager, mentor, peer or friend. The questions and the resulting assessment values can help you face important issues that must be dealt with as you strive to continuously improve your performance maturity. To obtain a more objective evaluation of your behaviors and actions, consider having someone who works with you take the assessment about you. Here are the questions. 1. Do you evaluate your performance daily or weekly? 5-Always; 4-Almost always; 3-Sometimes; 2-Seldom; 1-Never; 0-No comment Are you satisfied with your score? 5-Very; 4-Satisfied; 3-Somewhat; 2-Hardly; 1-Not satisfied; 0-No comment 2. Do you demonstrate perseverance and tenacity in the performance of your duties? 5-Always; 4-Almost always; 3-Sometimes; 2-Seldom; 1-Never; 0-No comment Are you satisfied with your score? 5-Very; 4-Satisfied; 3-Somewhat; 2-Hardly; 1-Not satisfied; 0-No comment 3. Do you seek out a mentor when doing so would be most helpful? 5-Always; 4-Almost always; 3-Sometimes; 2-Seldom; 1-Never; 0-No comment Are you satisfied with your score? 5-Very; 4-Satisfied; 3-Somewhat; 2-Hardly; 1-Not satisfied; 0-No comment 4. Do you take things personally and/or make things personal?

5-Never; 4-Seldom; 3-Sometimes; 2-Almost always; 1-Always; 0-No comment Are you satisfied with your score? 5-Very; 4-Satisfied; 3-Somewhat; 2-Hardly; 1-Not satisfied; 0-No comment


5. When necessary, do you demonstrate boldness in the administration of your assignments?

5-Always; 4-Almost always; 3-Sometimes; 2-Seldom; 1-Never; 0-No comment Are you satisfied with your score? 5-Very; 4-Satisfied; 3-Somewhat; 2-Hardly; 1-Not satisfied; 0-No comment 6. Do you place a higher value on what you think about yourself over what other people

think about you? 5-Always; 4-Almost always; 3-Sometimes; 2-Seldom; 1-Never; 0-No comment Are you satisfied with your score? 5-Very; 4-Satisfied; 3-Somewhat; 2-Hardly; 1-Not satisfied; 0-No comment 7. Are you able to emotionally process any past mistakes or situations so that they do

not negatively affect your present moments? 5-Always; 4-Almost always; 3-Sometimes; 2-Seldom; 1-Never; 0-No comment Are you satisfied with your score? 5-Very; 4-Satisfied; 3-Somewhat; 2-Hardly; 1-Not satisfied; 0-No comment 8. Do you treat your customer as if the future of your company and your employment

rests upon your ability to satisfy your customer on the transaction being performed right now?

5-Always; 4-Almost always; 3-Sometimes; 2-Seldom; 1-Never; 0-No comment Are you satisfied with your score? 5-Very; 4-Satisfied; 3-Somewhat; 2-Hardly; 1-Not satisfied; 0-No comment 9. Do you treat others the way that you would like them to treat you? 5-Always; 4-Almost always; 3-Sometimes; 2-Seldom; 1-Never; 0-No comment Are you satisfied with your score? 5-Very; 4-Satisfied; 3-Somewhat; 2-Hardly; 1-Not satisfied; 0-No comment 10. Are you truthful about your project progress and problems? 5-Always; 4-Almost always; 3-Sometimes; 2-Seldom; 1-Never; 0-No comment Are you satisfied with your score? 5-Very; 4-Satisfied; 3-Somewhat; 2-Hardly; 1-Not satisfied; 0-No comment 11. Do you successfully manage your external emotions? 5-Always; 4-Almost always; 3-Sometimes; 2-Seldom; 1-Never; 0-No comment Are you satisfied with your score? 5-Very; 4-Satisfied; 3-Somewhat; 2-Hardly; 1-Not satisfied; 0-No comment


12. Do you make the best business decisions even when others may not be happy with those decisions?

5-Always; 4-Almost always; 3-Sometimes; 2-Seldom; 1-Never; 0-No comment Are you satisfied with your score? 5-Very; 4-Satisfied; 3-Somewhat; 2-Hardly; 1-Not satisfied; 0-No comment 13. Do you lie or distort the truth?

5-Never; 4-Seldom; 3-Sometimes; 2-Almost always; 1-Always; 0-No comment Are you satisfied with your score? 5-Very; 4-Satisfied; 3-Somewhat; 2-Hardly; 1-Not satisfied; 0-No comment 14. Do you meet your day-to-day commitments? 5-Always; 4-Almost always; 3-Sometimes; 2-Seldom; 1-Never; 0-No comment Are you satisfied with your score? 5-Very; 4-Satisfied; 3-Somewhat; 2-Hardly; 1-Not satisfied; 0-No comment 15. Do you take responsibility for your performance and career? 5-Always; 4-Almost always; 3-Sometimes; 2-Seldom; 1-Never; 0-No comment Are you satisfied with your score? 5-Very; 4-Satisfied; 3-Somewhat; 2-Hardly; 1-Not satisfied; 0-No comment 16. Do you project self-confidence? 5-Always; 4-Almost always; 3-Sometimes; 2-Seldom; 1-Never; 0-No comment Are you satisfied with your score? 5-Very; 4-Satisfied; 3-Somewhat; 2-Hardly; 1-Not satisfied; 0-No comment 17. Do you meet your plan commitments? 5-Always; 4-Almost always; 3-Sometimes; 2-Seldom; 1-Never; 0-No comment Are you satisfied with your score? 5-Very; 4-Satisfied; 3-Somewhat; 2-Hardly; 1-Not satisfied; 0-No comment 18. Is being liked at work a primary objective for you? 5-Never; 4-Seldom; 3-Sometimes; 2-Almost always; 1-Always; 0-No comment Are you satisfied with your score? 5-Very; 4-Satisfied; 3-Somewhat; 2-Hardly; 1-Not satisfied; 0-No comment


19. Do you believe that you have a reputation for meeting your commitments? 5-Always; 4-Almost always; 3-Sometimes; 2-Seldom; 1-Never; 0-No comment Are you satisfied with your score? 5-Very; 4-Satisfied; 3-Somewhat; 2-Hardly; 1-Not satisfied; 0-No comment 20. Do you take charge of your job (versus wait for others to direct you)? 5-Always; 4-Almost always; 3-Sometimes; 2-Seldom; 1-Never; 0-No comment Are you satisfied with your score? 5-Very; 4-Satisfied; 3-Somewhat; 2-Hardly; 1-Not satisfied; 0-No comment 21. Do you live in your present moments (versus in the past or the future)? 5-Always; 4-Almost always; 3-Sometimes; 2-Seldom; 1-Never; 0-No comment Are you satisfied with your score? 5-Very; 4-Satisfied; 3-Somewhat; 2-Hardly; 1-Not satisfied; 0-No comment 22. Are you truthful when you make commitments? 5-Always; 4-Almost always; 3-Sometimes; 2-Seldom; 1-Never; 0-No comment Are you satisfied with your score? 5-Very; 4-Satisfied; 3-Somewhat; 2-Hardly; 1-Not satisfied; 0-No comment 23. Do you remain composed under pressure? 5-Always; 4-Almost always; 3-Sometimes; 2-Seldom; 1-Never; 0-No comment Are you satisfied with your score? 5-Very; 4-Satisfied; 3-Somewhat; 2-Hardly; 1-Not satisfied; 0-No comment 24. Do you routinely question your own behaviors and actions? 5-Always; 4-Almost always; 3-Sometimes; 2-Seldom; 1-Never; 0-No comment Are you satisfied with your score? 5-Very; 4-Satisfied; 3-Somewhat; 2-Hardly; 1-Not satisfied; 0-No comment 25. Do you challenge tradition, authority and the status quo in a professional and mature

manner? 5-Always; 4-Almost always; 3-Sometimes; 2-Seldom; 1-Never; 0-No comment Are you satisfied with your score? 5-Very; 4-Satisfied; 3-Somewhat; 2-Hardly; 1-Not satisfied; 0-No comment


26. Are you satisfied with your work-life balance? 5-Always; 4-Almost always; 3-Sometimes; 2-Seldom; 1-Never; 0-No comment Are you satisfied with your score? 5-Very; 4-Satisfied; 3-Somewhat; 2-Hardly; 1-Not satisfied; 0-No comment 27. Are you threatened by the views of others? 5-Never; 4-Seldom; 3-Sometimes; 2-Almost always; 1-Always; 0-No comment Are you satisfied with your score? 5-Very; 4-Satisfied; 3-Somewhat; 2-Hardly; 1-Not satisfied; 0-No comment 28. Do you demonstrate courage when confronted with something that you fear? 5-Always; 4-Almost always; 3-Sometimes; 2-Seldom; 1-Never; 0-No comment Are you satisfied with your score? 5-Very; 4-Satisfied; 3-Somewhat; 2-Hardly; 1-Not satisfied; 0-No comment 29. When a problem surfaces that could negatively affect your commitments, do you

quickly inform all relevant stakeholders and put a mitigation plan in place? 5-Always; 4-Almost always; 3-Sometimes; 2-Seldom; 1-Never; 0-No comment Are you satisfied with your score? 5-Very; 4-Satisfied; 3-Somewhat; 2-Hardly; 1-Not satisfied; 0-No comment 30. If you conducted a survey of your customer’s satisfaction with your performance,

would the survey results give you high marks? 5-Always; 4-Almost always; 3-Sometimes; 2-Seldom; 1-Never; 0-No comment Are you satisfied with your score? 5-Very; 4-Satisfied; 3-Somewhat; 2-Hardly; 1-Not satisfied; 0-No comment 31. Do you define who you choose to be rather than allow others to define it for you? 5-Always; 4-Almost always; 3-Sometimes; 2-Seldom; 1-Never; 0-No comment Are you satisfied with your score? 5-Very; 4-Satisfied; 3-Somewhat; 2-Hardly; 1-Not satisfied; 0-No comment 32. Do you begin each day with a to-do list that identifies your top three priorities for the

day? 5-Always; 4-Almost always; 3-Sometimes; 2-Seldom; 1-Never; 0-No comment Are you satisfied with your score? 5-Very; 4-Satisfied; 3-Somewhat; 2-Hardly; 1-Not satisfied; 0-No comment


33. Do you believe that others view you as relentless in satisfying your commitments? 5-Always; 4-Almost always; 3-Sometimes; 2-Seldom; 1-Never; 0-No comment Are you satisfied with your score? 5-Very; 4-Satisfied; 3-Somewhat; 2-Hardly; 1-Not satisfied; 0-No comment 34. Do you put off the important and fun things until later? 5-Never; 4-Seldom; 3-Sometimes; 2-Almost always; 1-Always; 0-No comment Are you satisfied with your score? 5-Very; 4-Satisfied; 3-Somewhat; 2-Hardly; 1-Not satisfied; 0-No comment 35. Do you volunteer the truth without having to be coaxed or encouraged? 5-Always; 4-Almost always; 3-Sometimes; 2-Seldom; 1-Never; 0-No comment Are you satisfied with your score? 5-Very; 4-Satisfied; 3-Somewhat; 2-Hardly; 1-Not satisfied; 0-No comment 36. Do you find ways to have fun at work? 5-Always; 4-Almost always; 3-Sometimes; 2-Seldom; 1-Never; 0-No comment Are you satisfied with your score? 5-Very; 4-Satisfied; 3-Somewhat; 2-Hardly; 1-Not satisfied; 0-No comment 37. Do you avoid necessary confrontation?

5-Never; 4-Seldom; 3-Sometimes; 2-Almost always; 1-Always; 0-No comment Are you satisfied with your score? 5-Very; 4-Satisfied; 3-Somewhat; 2-Hardly; 1-Not satisfied; 0-No comment 38. As the need presents itself, do you resort to unconventional solutions (that are

ethical and legal) in the pursuit of business success? 5-Always; 4-Almost always; 3-Sometimes; 2-Seldom; 1-Never; 0-No comment Are you satisfied with your score? 5-Very; 4-Satisfied; 3-Somewhat; 2-Hardly; 1-Not satisfied; 0-No comment 39. Do you focus on your top three priorities most days? 5-Always; 4-Almost always; 3-Sometimes; 2-Seldom; 1-Never; 0-No comment Are you satisfied with your score? 5-Very; 4-Satisfied; 3-Somewhat; 2-Hardly; 1-Not satisfied; 0-No comment


40. Do you speak ill of others (other than privately with that person)? 5-Never; 4-Seldom; 3-Sometimes; 2-Almost always; 1-Always; 0-No comment Are you satisfied with your score? 5-Very; 4-Satisfied; 3-Somewhat; 2-Hardly; 1-Not satisfied; 0-No comment 41. Do you lead by example? 5-Always; 4-Almost always; 3-Sometimes; 2-Seldom; 1-Never; 0-No comment Are you satisfied with your score? 5-Very; 4-Satisfied; 3-Somewhat; 2-Hardly; 1-Not satisfied; 0-No comment 42. Do you work off your top three priorities at least weekly and replace them with new

priorities? 5-Always; 4-Almost always; 3-Sometimes; 2-Seldom; 1-Never; 0-No comment Are you satisfied with your score? 5-Very; 4-Satisfied; 3-Somewhat; 2-Hardly; 1-Not satisfied; 0-No comment 43. Are you truthful about mistakes you have made that can benefit others knowing

about them? 5-Always; 4-Almost always; 3-Sometimes; 2-Seldom; 1-Never; 0-No comment Are you satisfied with your score? 5-Very; 4-Satisfied; 3-Somewhat; 2-Hardly; 1-Not satisfied; 0-No comment 44. Do you look forward to your work day? 5-Always; 4-Almost always; 3-Sometimes; 2-Seldom; 1-Never; 0-No comment Are you satisfied with your score? 5-Very; 4-Satisfied; 3-Somewhat; 2-Hardly; 1-Not satisfied; 0-No comment 45. Do you believe there is sufficient benefit in evaluating your performance daily? 5-Always; 4-Almost always; 3-Sometimes; 2-Seldom; 1-Never; 0-No comment Are you satisfied with your score? 5-Very; 4-Satisfied; 3-Somewhat; 2-Hardly; 1-Not satisfied; 0-No comment 46. Do you believe that you are at least partially accountable for the quality and

timeliness of deliverables to you from others? 5-Always; 4-Almost always; 3-Sometimes; 2-Seldom; 1-Never; 0-No comment Are you satisfied with your score? 5-Very; 4-Satisfied; 3-Somewhat; 2-Hardly; 1-Not satisfied; 0-No comment


47. Do you initiate sufficient discussions with your management that serve to benefit your performance evaluation and career?

5-Always; 4-Almost always; 3-Sometimes; 2-Seldom; 1-Never; 0-No comment Are you satisfied with your score? 5-Very; 4-Satisfied; 3-Somewhat; 2-Hardly; 1-Not satisfied; 0-No comment 48. Do you do the right thing? 5-Always; 4-Almost always; 3-Sometimes; 2-Seldom; 1-Never; 0-No comment Are you satisfied with your score? 5-Very; 4-Satisfied; 3-Somewhat; 2-Hardly; 1-Not satisfied; 0-No comment 49. Are you satisfied with the decisions that you make throughout each workday? 5-Always; 4-Almost always; 3-Sometimes; 2-Seldom; 1-Never; 0-No comment Are you satisfied with your score? 5-Very; 4-Satisfied; 3-Somewhat; 2-Hardly; 1-Not satisfied; 0-No comment 50. Do you maintain a positive attitude? 5-Always; 4-Almost always; 3-Sometimes; 2-Seldom; 1-Never; 0-No comment Are you satisfied with your score? 5-Very; 4-Satisfied; 3-Somewhat; 2-Hardly; 1-Not satisfied; 0-No comment 51. Do you practice that leadership is not about the ability of those around you to lead,

but about your ability to lead regardless of what is happening around you? 5-Always; 4-Almost always; 3-Sometimes; 2-Seldom; 1-Never; 0-No comment Are you satisfied with your score? 5-Very; 4-Satisfied; 3-Somewhat; 2-Hardly; 1-Not satisfied; 0-No comment 52. At any given moment, can you identify your top three priorities that you need to be

working? 5-Always; 4-Almost always; 3-Sometimes; 2-Seldom; 1-Never; 0-No comment Are you satisfied with your score? 5-Very; 4-Satisfied; 3-Somewhat; 2-Hardly; 1-Not satisfied; 0-No comment 53. When an opportunity arises, do you make your boss look good? 5-Always; 4-Almost always; 3-Sometimes; 2-Seldom; 1-Never; 0-No comment Are you satisfied with your score? 5-Very; 4-Satisfied; 3-Somewhat; 2-Hardly; 1-Not satisfied; 0-No comment


54. Do you allow others to intimidate you into being less effective than is possible? 5-Never; 4-Seldom; 3-Sometimes; 2-Almost always; 1-Always; 0-No comment Are you satisfied with your score? 5-Very; 4-Satisfied; 3-Somewhat; 2-Hardly; 1-Not satisfied; 0-No comment 55. Do you believe that others view you as a role model? 5-Always; 4-Almost always; 3-Sometimes; 2-Seldom; 1-Never; 0-No comment Are you satisfied with your score? 5-Very; 4-Satisfied; 3-Somewhat; 2-Hardly; 1-Not satisfied; 0-No comment 56. Do you routinely conduct yourself as if you own the business and the business is

defined by your domain of responsibility? 5-Always; 4-Almost always; 3-Sometimes; 2-Seldom; 1-Never; 0-No comment Are you satisfied with your score? 5-Very; 4-Satisfied; 3-Somewhat; 2-Hardly; 1-Not satisfied; 0-No comment 57. Do you believe that you have substantial control over your own destiny? 5-Always; 4-Almost always; 3-Sometimes; 2-Seldom; 1-Never; 0-No comment Are you satisfied with your score? 5-Very; 4-Satisfied; 3-Somewhat; 2-Hardly; 1-Not satisfied; 0-No comment 58. Do you have a good understanding of what is expected of you in your job? 5-Always; 4-Almost always; 3-Sometimes; 2-Seldom; 1-Never; 0-No comment Are you satisfied with your score? 5-Very; 4-Satisfied; 3-Somewhat; 2-Hardly; 1-Not satisfied; 0-No comment 59. Do you give problems the sense of urgency and importance they deserve? 5-Always; 4-Almost always; 3-Sometimes; 2-Seldom; 1-Never; 0-No comment Are you satisfied with your score? 5-Very; 4-Satisfied; 3-Somewhat; 2-Hardly; 1-Not satisfied; 0-No comment 60. Do you require plans, metrics and checks and balances to ensure that important

commitments are planned and trackable? 5-Always; 4-Almost always; 3-Sometimes; 2-Seldom; 1-Never; 0-No comment Are you satisfied with your score? 5-Very; 4-Satisfied; 3-Somewhat; 2-Hardly; 1-Not satisfied; 0-No comment


61. Do you believe that the outcome of your day, week and month is predominately

based on the decisions that you have made throughout each day? 5-Always; 4-Almost always; 3-Sometimes; 2-Seldom; 1-Never; 0-No comment Are you satisfied with your score? 5-Very; 4-Satisfied; 3-Somewhat; 2-Hardly; 1-Not satisfied; 0-No comment 62. Do you condemn unethical or illegal behavior? 5-Always; 4-Almost always; 3-Sometimes; 2-Seldom; 1-Never; 0-No comment Are you satisfied with your score? 5-Very; 4-Satisfied; 3-Somewhat; 2-Hardly; 1-Not satisfied; 0-No comment 63. Do you practice leadership that sees your role as predominantly serving, developing

and nurturing others rather than focusing on yourself? 5-Always; 4-Almost always; 3-Sometimes; 2-Seldom; 1-Never; 0-No comment Are you satisfied with your score? 5-Very; 4-Satisfied; 3-Somewhat; 2-Hardly; 1-Not satisfied; 0-No comment 64. Unless a person has appropriately earned your trust, do you typically inspect what

you expect from others? 5-Always; 4-Almost always; 3-Sometimes; 2-Seldom; 1-Never; 0-No comment Are you satisfied with your score? 5-Very; 4-Satisfied; 3-Somewhat; 2-Hardly; 1-Not satisfied; 0-No comment 65. Do you believe that you (versus someone else) are responsible for finding ways to

make work fun? 5-Always; 4-Almost always; 3-Sometimes; 2-Seldom; 1-Never; 0-No comment Are you satisfied with your score? 5-Very; 4-Satisfied; 3-Somewhat; 2-Hardly; 1-Not satisfied; 0-No comment


Determine Top Three Behaviors to Improve

This document is part of a Neal Whitten course called “Behaviors that Lead to

Exceptional Performance.” You are free to use this information for your own training

purposes providing that you make proper reference to the copyright, it is not used for

resale and it is used internal to your organization or company.

- - - - -

The purpose of this exercise instrument is to help you determine the top three behaviors of importance to you with which to focus that can help you improve your performance maturity. The important behaviors introduced in the course are listed in the table below. There is space at the end of the table that you can use to add additional behaviors that have special importance to you. Here’s how to use this exercise instrument. For each behavior, circle an H (high), M (medium) or L (low) in the “1st Pass” column to designate how important you believe this behavior is to you in helping you improve your performance maturity. Afterwards, count the number of behaviors that were assigned an “H.” The objective is to end this exercise with your top three selections. If the count of behaviors assigned an “H” is more than three, then repeat the exercise only for those behaviors that were assigned an “H” and circle the appropriate H, M or L in the 2nd Pass column. For example, if the outcome from the first pass was that 10 behaviors were assigned an “H” then relook at these 10 behaviors and decide, relevant to each other, which behaviors are rated an H, M or L. If you still have more than three behaviors assigned an “H” then perform the exercise again using the 3rd Pass column. Hopefully you will identify your three most important behaviors within three passes; if not, continue this exercise until you have your top three behaviors identified. Note: If you need help in determining which behaviors qualify for the most important behaviors to improve upon, return to the Questionnaire for Self-Assessing Performance Maturity. Looking through your results, consider eliminating behaviors with base scores and satisfaction scores that are 4 or higher. Now look for behaviors with a satisfaction score of 3 or less. Of course, you know your performance maturity with each behavior better than anyone. If you believe that you need to improve your behaviors in any of the 27 categories even though your assessment showed that you rated yourself high, then listen to your instincts and act accordingly. Now that you have identified your top three behaviors, follow the instructions in the course to develop plans to improve your performance in these three areas if appropriate.


Behavior 1st Pass 2

nd Pass 3

rd Pass

Break the rules occasionally. Workplace rules are made for 95% of employees 95% of the time.

H M L H M L H M L

Manage daily to your top three priorities. They define your value, contributions and, ultimately, your career.

H M L H M L H M L

Never avoid necessary confrontation. Always give problems the sense of urgency and importance they deserve.

H M L H M L H M L

Define who you choose to be. Then muster the courage to walk the thought. You are what you perceive yourself to be; your vision becomes your reality.

H M L H M L H M L

Understand and practice empowerment. Understand your job, take ownership of it and do whatever is necessary—within legal and ethical parameters—to accomplish it.

H M L H M L H M L

Think for yourself. Challenge tradition, authority and the status quo in a professional and mature manner. Routinely question your own behaviors and actions.

H M L H M L H M L

Routinely practice boldness and courage to be a consistently effective leader. Your behavior drives your success.

H M L H M L H M L

Do not allow what others think about you to be more important than what you think about yourself. Listen for helpful snippets but remain in control of you.

H M L H M L H M L

Inspect what you expect. Don’t trust that things are progressing smoothly or will work out okay on their own. Plan it, measure it and, if necessary, mitigate it.

H M L H M L H M L

Embrace integrity in all that you do. Listen to your inner voice and treat it as the wise and trusted friend it is.

H M L H M L H M L

Make careful decisions. Your success becomes the sum of the decisions you have chosen to make. (Sandra Harrsen in The Gift of Wisdom: Lessons for a Lifetime by Neal Whitten)

H M L H M L H M L

Meet commitments. Demonstrate that you can be counted on; that you are reliable and deliver results.

H M L H M L H M L

Mind your own business first. Behave as if you own the business and your business is defined by your domain of responsibility.

H M L H M L H M L

Live in your present moments. Don’t dwell on yesterday. Admit mistakes, learn from them, apply those lessons going forward… and move on.

H M L H M L H M L

Don’t make it personal or take it personally. It’s all about what’s best for business.

H M L H M L H M L


Think like a leader. It’s not about the ability of those around you to lead, it’s about your ability to lead regardless of what is happening around you.

H M L H M L H M L

Treat your customer as if it matters… as if the future of your company and your employment rests upon your ability to satisfy your customer on the transaction being performed right now.

H M L H M L H M L

Be a good actor. Learn to manage your emotions. Continuously work at being the person you choose to be. Exude self-confidence, maintain a positive attitude, remain composed under pressure.

H M L H M L H M L

Be a champion for Life Balance. Don’t put off the important and fun things until later. Later can have a habit of never arriving. (Pat McCarty in The Gift of Wisdom: Lessons for a Lifetime by Neal Whitten)

H M L H M L H M L

Be a role model. Without fanfare or recognition, behave in a manner that others can emulate.

H M L H M L H M L

Treat others as you would like to be treated. You will be remembered and revered for how you made others feel.

H M L H M L H M L

Have fun in your work. If you are not having fun, you likely are not doing the best you can. (Fernando Arce in The Gift of Wisdom: Lessons for a Lifetime by Neal Whitten)

H M L H M L H M L

Make your boss look good. Your job is to make your leaders look good—which makes you look good.

H M L H M L H M L

Seek out a mentor. There is no better way to learn a craft than through a mentor.

H M L H M L H M L

Never, never, never… never give up. Perseverance can level the playing field. It’s not how smart you are; it’s what you do with what you have.

H M L H M L H M L

Evaluate yourself daily. Always ask yourself how you can grow from your daily experiences. (Dr. Yung-Chen Lu in The Gift of Wisdom: Lessons for a Lifetime by Neal Whitten)

H M L H M L H M L

Take responsibility for your performance and career. Don’t abdicate that responsibility to your boss, your company, anyone else or anything else.

H M L H M L H M L

H M L H M L H M L

H M L H M L H M L

H M L H M L H M L


Exercise Template: Performance Improvement Plans This document is part of a Neal Whitten course called “Behaviors that Lead to Exceptional Performance.” You are free to use this information for your own training purposes providing that you make proper reference to the copyright, it is not used for resale and it is used internal to your organization or company.

- - - - - Once you have decided the behaviors you most want to improve, this exercise template can be used to develop up to three Performance Improvement Plans—one for each of the three behaviors you have chosen to work on. Of course, the exercise template can be expanded to accommodate more than three behaviors; however, better to focus on improving three (or less) behaviors than to take on many more and be overwhelmed and ultimately ineffective in improving most or all the selected behaviors. There are six areas to be completed for each Performance Improvement Plan: 1. Identify behavior to be improved 2. Recall incident where behavior was weak or missing 3. Identify the potential or real harm that occurred 4. Identify the inhibitors that contributed to the weak behavior 5. Identify a more effective approach utilizing the desired behavior 6. Identify the benefit that could have resulted from taking a more effective approach. You will notice that the Performance Improvement Plans encourage you to examine your current behaviors and consider substituting new behaviors going forward. In other words, looking at the behaviors that you will examine, if the same situations availed themselves tomorrow, would you have learned from your past and behaved more effectively—as your new Performance Improvement Plans suggest? I have found that most people likely know when their behavior is less than optimal. They also have good ideas about what they should have done. The problem comes in when it is time to choose their behavior. Before you begin to develop the Performance Improvement Plans, note that a sample Performance Improvement Plan has been completed for your reference and appears at the end of this document. Consider using this exercise template periodically—such as monthly or every two months. Doing so will heighten your awareness to continually improving the behaviors that you feel are the most important that contribute to your performance maturity.


Performance Improvement Plan for Behavior #1 1. Identify behavior to be improved: ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________

2. Recall incident where behavior was weak or missing: ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ 3. Identify the potential or real harm that occurred: ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________


4. Identify the inhibitors that contributed to the weak behavior: ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ 5. Identify a more effective approach utilizing the desired behavior: ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ 6. Identify the benefit that could have resulted from taking a more effective approach: ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________


Sample Performance Improvement Plan 1. Identify behavior to improve: Manage daily to your top three priorities. (Use generic description from Power Snippets or exercise “Determine Top Three Behaviors of Importance to you” rather than detailed questions from assessment Questionnaire.) 2. Recall incident where preferred behavior was weak or missing: Upon examining my daily to-do lists with which I began each day last week, it is strikingly apparent that I not only did not identify my top three priorities to work each day, most of each day was consumed with reacting to interruptions, noise and minutia that routinely comes my way. As a result, the most important issues and actions frequently did not receive the attention that their importance required. 3. Identify the potential harm that occurred: As a project manager, a recent review of the health of my project revealed that the project’s top three problems (priorities) primarily resulted because they did not receive sufficient care and feeding that they required weeks earlier. As a result, there were unresolved issues causing staffing delays, incomplete and delayed key project documentation and customer relationship issues. 4. Identify the inhibitors that contributed to the weak behavior. The major inhibitor was my lack of knowledge of the importance of managing daily to my top three priorities. 5. Identify a more effective approach: I will create a to-do list at the start of each day. The list will identify the top three priorities with which to maximize my attention. I will list on my office white board my top three priorities. This will serve as a conscious reminder to me throughout the day—as well as inform the people I work with—what I view to be my priorities. My goal will be to either resolve or to put a committed plan in place to resolve those items and, within 2-3 days, remove them from my top three priority list and replace each with a new priority. If I only have a few minutes between meetings to work on my to-do list, I may choose to work the non-top-three problems. However, whenever I can find 30 minutes or more, I will mostly focus my attention working off my top three priorities. 6. Identify the benefit that could have resulted from taking a more effective

approach: I expect my effectiveness to improve as I consciously focus on the big-ticket problems that have the most impact on my value and contributions to my project and organization—and ultimately my career. I expect my project to benefit with major issues increasingly receiving the appropriate time and attention they require.


Behaviors that Lead to Exceptional Performance · 2019-01-16 · About Neal . Neal Whitten is a...

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