High performance and fun: a contradiction?
"A few years ago we had a burnout due to overwork in our staff," says the HR director at the meeting, where the aim is to increase the winning team spirit. Then he adds: "We must not demand too much from our people".
The others nod casually and the CEO remarks: "Yes, let's approach the whole thing with a sensitive touch." I know such objections quite well in a similar form. This reasoning is based on the belief that peak performance and fun are a contraction.
The problem: If you firmly believe that top performance stands in contrast to a pleasant working atmosphere and well-being, you will always shy away from establishing a winning team culture.
The consistently proven fact, on the other hand, is a different one: the happiest and most fulfilled people of all times challenge themselves again and again, measure themselves against the best, are more productive than the average person, and have an overall "winning mentality".
Any sustainable increase in performance begins with the realization that higher productivity and winning are fun and do not lead to burnout.
Of course, there are a number of things that need to be taken into account by managers in order to make a positive connection clear to everyone else. Here are three points:
- Self-confidence. Often a low level of self-confidence stands in our way when it comes to really achieving more. This is because the path to greater success and more fun often first leads out of the comfort zone.
- High standards. We often have far too low standards for ourselves and are satisfied with the status quo. The worst thing is that we get used to mediocrity and ultimately even fight those who want to wake us up from sleeping.
- Constant growth. The path to significantly more success and fulfillment often starts with significantly stronger self-growth and further education. Many people have a learning curve which is much too flat. Important: personal growth is one of the strongest drivers for fulfillment and top performance. Many have simply forgotten.
Contact me if you want to work on the winning team spirit with your team.