At work, an astounding 72 percent of people play at the mediocre level according to research based on Aspire's 10-year study of top performing people and teams. Think of the productivity and profits lost!

To get your people to perform at a higher level, you must first look at the three components of highly competent performers, regardless of their tasks and responsibility.

The Head
What is their mindset towards their work and responsibilities? Does it serve them or are they unmotivated? Motivation is fuel. Without it you don’t go far or get anywhere fast. And remember, you can’t motivate another person – you can only inspire them.

Head trash is a major killer of performance. So how can you help someone feel pride in their contributions to the team? All great performers have a positive perspective on their work. Help them find the emotional why behind their work and turn on their motivational switch. 

The Skills
What is their level of skill? Do they have the knowledge and skillset to do the tasks required to deliver on their responsibilities? Some skills are natural whereas some are nurtured. If a job requires organization and that is not someone’s nature, you have the wrong person in that position. People can learn to nurture a skill and you have to be prepared for the long road to competency that may lie ahead.

Many skills require training and training is not a one-time affair. How can they learn more? How can you set an expectation that requires them to constantly look to evolve into an outstanding performer?

Onboarding a new hire effectively bestows the skills they need to meet the expectations of the job. When you miss the opportunity to bring someone into your organization effectively, you can trigger feelings of incompetency and inadvertently trigger head trash, the major killer of performance.

The Processes
What processes do your people need to optimize their productivity and effectiveness? Many times we don’t look at our work as a process and yet process breeds efficiency. Process helps make us competent more quickly as repetition is the mother of skill.

Moving someone to a higher level of performance takes managers who effectively coach for performance improvement, using encouragement and communication as tools to establish motivation and accountability.

Raise the bar on the sea of mediocrity that likely exists inside your organization – for mediocrity, like denial, only slows you down.