Written by We need to cultivate a culture that judges (evaluates) process, not people.
The Reality
Whether in a corporate or athletic setting, we do not explicitly discuss what we should or want to judge. We also do not explicitly discuss what we need to be compassionate about. So many of my individual clients, find themselves in a “rut” because they are judging themselves. This is common. The challenge is, what are we judging ourselves on? We get down on ourselves after mistakes. Especially, after several mistakes. We lose motivation and we can get stuck, easily. It becomes incredibly personal and less about the job.
The Common Challenge
Recently, I was working with a college football player who by all accounts was a high achiever. It didn’t take long into our conversation that it was clear he was not okay with making mistakes and even worse, he was not okay with the emotions he was experiencing. I asked him, “what are you judging? – I mean, how should you feel after you make mistakes?”. This led quickly to a conversation around emotions and their role and being accepting and compassionate of human nature. Second, let’s keep our judgement for “strategy”. Your strategy is what will dictate your performance. After good performances, reflect on your strategy. After mistakes, reflect on your strategy.
I share that story, because it is within the leadership that the cultural norms are established.
- Drive conversations on the importance of assessing strategy not personality.
- Drive conversations on accepting and being compassionate with mistakes and emotions.
“We are not lowering the standard, but truly developing and encouraging a growth mindset”