🧐 It’s not a productivity issue — it’s a trust one!
In my consulting conversations with CEOs, the initial concern nearly always revolves around metrics. "Is my team productive enough? Is our talent up to par?"
But as we peel back the layers, a common theme emerges—it's not really about the numbers. It's about trust.
🔍 The deeper we dive, the clearer it becomes: the metrics are a mask for the real issue—a lack of trust in the commitment and capability of their executives and team. This realization often brings so much discomfort, they are unwilling to admit it at first — even to themselves. Trust is emotional, subjective, and doesn’t fit neatly into a spreadsheet.
🤔 As leaders, we shy away from such intangible discussions. After all, it feels unfair to question someone's competence based on a 'feeling.' Yet, dismissing these concerns means missing the silent signals that are driving our interpretation of the spoken numbers.
🗣️ True leadership requires the courage to confront these feelings head-on. It's about getting curious about our doubts. Why don’t we trust our teams: Do we need to repeat ourselves? Is there defensiveness rather than collaboration? Do we feel uncomfortably vague about the person behind the title?
🤝 Uncovering these personal experiences helps to pinpoint our exact needs for rebuilding trust. When we have that trust the data and analytics become a powerful tool to collaboratively assess whether our efforts are moving us in the right direction and how to adjust, without that trust they are just anchors to defend our entrenched positions.
It doesn’t start with more data or better analytics— it starts with having the tough conversations that metrics can’t navigate.
💡 Remember, metrics can guide us, but they can never compensate for dysfunctional human elements in a team.
So, when you run into a performance concern, let’s start with the vital question: "What do I need to see to trust you?"
Trust is the intangible metric that always tell us the most.
Credit: A fascinating conversation with brilliant People leaders Itamar Goldminz, Golbie Kamarei and Emily Couey that crystallized my perspective.