Today's highly competitive business climate demands performance that is a dramatic break from the past. Senior executives of large and complex organizations have an imperative to produce outcomes that are extraordinary, given the history of the organization and its current skills, resources, and circumstances. We call this new order of unprecedented results "breakthrough performance."

The Levers and Dials Don't Always Work

Spend anytime with a senior executive discussing his or her concerns and commitments for the business, and in short order the conversation will center on, "what are the best levers and dials to elevate human performance?" More and more, we hear executives express frustration that the known methods to impact performance, such as skills training, setting clear objectives, monitoring performance, and motivating with rewards and consequences, cannot be counted on to reliably impact human performance.

In the words of one CEO we interviewed:

"That's always a true statement: the levers don't always work and they don't always make as big a difference as I'd like to see."

Another executive, faced with a huge ERP implementation, said it this way:

"At this time, I would take a cut in pay to find a firm that provides an extraordinary elevation in people's performance."

Context is Decisive

Every enterprise has a governing context. The context decides how we can be successful, which results are possible and which are not. It tells us how fast we can bring a product to market, which process and quality improvements are doable, which goals are attainable, and how to reach them. It even shapes how we interact with other functional areas and levels in the organization.

What is context? It is the rules, truths, perceptions, experiences, concerns, operative values, and assumptions that form the unspoken, but highly influential backdrop for the organization. This backdrop or environment governs what people see, how people think, act, and produce results and most significantly, what they consider to be possible. It determines the future horizon or direction of the enterprise. Left unexamined and unquestioned, these deeply held, and often hidden, beliefs can limit how effective, creative, and productive we can be in any situation.

Where Do You Find "the Context"?

Context isn't physical or tangible. It can't be touched like a piece of equipment or a keyboard, but it can be observed. It evidences itself in the content, tone, and types of conversations in which the people of an enterprise engage. It can be discerned in what people pay attention to and what they ignore. It is most palpably evident in how they act.

We have observed that the organizations that produce "business-as-usual" performance operate within a different context than organizations that produce breakthrough performance. These different work environments naturally stimulate different behaviors, which in turn generate different results and outcomes.

You can often determine if the people of an organization are operating inside of a "business-as-usual" context or a context that fosters breakthrough performance by observing behavior.

Most notably:

Business-as-Usual Behavior			Breakthrough Behavior
	Relying on the way we've always done things			Able to identify and disengage from (hidden) assumptions
	Functional perspective			Strategic perspective
	Self-protective/cynical			Inspired/committed
	Finger pointing			Able to identify personal responsibility
	"There are some things we can't control"			Discerning new possibilities for influence and action
	Gossip/complaining			Coordinated action/solutions
	Problems are obstacles			Breakdowns are opportunities
	Leadership by command and control			Inspirational leadership

Close examination of the intricate workings of any organization reveals that virtually every aspect of enterprise performance relies on the effective performance of people, whether they are working alone, in teams, or across an organization. Our consulting is based on the premise that the greatest access any executive has to breakthrough performance is through the people of his or her enterprise. We call the human facet of enterprise performance, this dynamic opportunity for breakthroughs, The Human FactorSM.

Effectively and successfully leveraging The Human Factor presents executives with the challenge to create work environments and methods that stimulate individuals and teams to contribute and express the best of their thinking, effort, and performance.