We must take our lessons from the Performance Management programs that have been applied throughout all levels of sports and athletics. In sports, players bring a certain set of knowledge, skills and abilities to their team or individual sport. They are then trained to perform at certain positions based on both physical and mental characteristics. They are never forced to fit into a role where their chances of success are minimized. If they are placed incorrectly, their performance suffers.
Instantaneous feedback is also important to achievement.
When all these factors come into play, when successful athletes are matched to their position based on skill and psychological characteristics, then their performance occurs at a high level. Unfortunately, the opposite approach is what we re currently doing in business. In business, there is often a tendency to focus on the physical and technical skills of job performance and neglect its mental aspects and psycho-behavioral requirements, what I call the People Factor. Yet, we all know that it is the attitude and intrinsic motivation a person brings to the job that often affects skill levels and determines the level of performance. The answer lies within the performer.