“You there, I need new teeth, chop down a cherry tree!”
Fast start conversation: A myth can take a life of its own. Misconceptions, both logical and illogical, can perpetuate beliefs that linger beyond reality.
If the following: bats are blind, George Washington had wooden teeth, or the Great Wall of China is the only man-made object visible from the moon, are myth or reality, little harm comes from someone’s belief one or all are, factually myths.
People, and any performance myth that a department or organization has around human capital, however, create real and lasting impact on motivation and return on involvement:
- High job satisfaction results in high performance.
- When employees select their own work goals, their motivation to achieve them is greater.
- Personality inventories used for selection purposes are strong predictors of job performance success.
- Organized, supervised work teams outperform self-managed teams.
In a 2010 post I note Harold Stolovitch presents four performance myth samples above and further points:
… the hallmark of a true performance professional is the ability to marshal powerful arguments that counter unsubstantiated practices in order to achieve results that everyone ultimately values.
Which of the above continue to guide current thinking in your organization?
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