Interview:
Performance Talk: The One-on-One Part of Leadership
An interview with Wally Bock about his speech, "Performance Talk: The One-on-One Part of Leadership."
I: We know something about what's in your book, tell me a little about what the Performance Talk speech is like. What are the key points?
WB: Well, if you're in the audience for a program of mine on Performance Talk, I want you to leave understanding some important things.
I want you to understand just how important your job as a boss is, no matter where you are in your organization. We know that the relationship with the immediate boss is the most important influence on both productivity and worker satisfaction.
Second, I want you to understand that you don't have a lot of power as a boss, but you do have lots of influence. In fact, you have less power than before you were promoted.
I: Let me stop you there. Less power? Don't you have more?
WB: No. Think about it this way. When you're an individual contributor, and you want to do better what do you do?
I: Well, work harder I guess. Or work smarter.
WB: How many people do you have to discuss that with? How many need to agree with you?
I: No one. Oh, I get it, think.
WB: Right, when you're the boss, the team is your destiny. What they do determines how well you do.
I: But you have the power to discipline and maybe fire someone.
WB: That's true. You can deliver the consequences of performance, but you can't compel performance. If you've got somebody working for you who's willing to take whatever you can dish out, there's nothing you can do about that.
That's the bad news. The good news is that you have a ton more influence.
I: How does that work?
WB: Your people pay attention to what you say and do because you're the boss. You can't compel their performance, but you sure can affect the quality of their work life. So they watch and they listen.
It's like with kids. They may not admit that they pay attention to what we do, but they do.
I: So a boss has less power, but more influence. What else?
WB: This is related. You need to understand what you do and don't control.
What you manage is behavior. Behavior is what people say and do.
You don't manage attitude. You don't motivate people. You manage behavior.
You use behavior you can control, that would be your own behavior, to influence the behavior of folks who work for you.
I: Anything else I need to understand?
WB: One more thing. There are techniques you can use to do a better job as a boss. I can tell you about them in a speech. If we've got time for a workshop or training session, I can help you learn them.
I: So how is training different from a speech?
WB: In a training session we'll use exercises to get you familiar with some simple, face-to-face techniques.
I: Do people have to buy your book to get something out of your speech?
WB: Not at all. I think it will help. After all, we're talking about behavioral change and that takes time, practice and feedback. Having a book will certainly help that process along.
You will walk out of the room at the end of my speech with some ideas about what you can do to become a more effective leader. Those ideas and concepts should form the basis for your personal leadership development. Books like mine will help you go further.
Of course, I really like it if everyone in the program has a book. They can read it on their own and pick things naturally, without really studying, but I've designed my programs so there will be learning you can use on the job, whether you read the book or not.