HPS Leadership Best Practices Journal™

An Extraordinary Invitation™

Amazing! Unbelievable! Incredible! Perhaps we've all used some of these words to describe extraordinary human behaviors we've experienced personally or observed in others during our lives. What we may not have considered is what prompted the extraordinary behavior. Was the behavior merely an anomaly? Was the behavior internally motivated? Was the behavior motivated by some external influence? Was it a combination of both internal and external influences?

For some reason, it seems common to rationalize extraordinary human behavior as anomalies or exceptions to the norm. Yet, the capacity for extraordinary behavior is accessible more consistently than we may have ever imagined.

In the context of improving human performance, the opportunity is how to tap into the extraordinary and unleash our best potential and the best potential of those we lead on a more consistent basis.

HPS uses the term extraordinary to describe best potential. HPS uses the term invitation to describe the Pygmalion Effect. Pygmalion is a phenomenon that occurs when others see potential in us that we are unable to see in ourselves. In effect, it is the permission we grant to others to perform at fullest potential.

So what's the linkage between extraordinary potential and invitation? Let's explore the linkage by considering a simple definition of the term paradigm. A paradigm is simply a pattern or model. In the context of human behavior, it describes a routine, habit, and even something as involuntary and automatic as breathing.

In essence, patterns of human behaviors are often automatic and routine. Exemplary leadership unleashes extraordinary performance in others by offering those we lead an invitation to do things better. And, doing things better often translates into amazing, unbelievable, and incredible performance. This invitation often makes the difference between average-to-mediocre and extraordinary performance.

We featured an article last year entitled Discretionary Employee Contribution™: Leveraging 100% from Your Employees. In this article we suggested that you consider employees as paid volunteers. Discretion was a term used to describe the choice (conscious or unconscious behaviors) that employees often make to contribute 100% of their fullest potential. While this article used the term discretion in the context of customer service, the same concept applies in all other areas of job performance.

Exemplary leaders inspire the best from their people. One of the ways in which they do this is by inviting and encouraging the extraordinary from their people. Inspired employees are higher performing employees. They are also very deliberate about their decision to contribute 100% of their fullest potential. Employee discretion can often mean the difference between good and great performance.

Next month, we will explore in greater detail the Pygmalion Effect and its relationship to extraordinary performance and fullest potential. We will also expand on the correlation between effective leadership behaviors and unleashing fullest potential at the employee, team, and organizational levels.