For Consistent High Performance, Try This Science-Based Approach

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In USA we are near the end of this year’s football season, it’s becoming easier to predict which teams will emerge as championship contenders. They’re the teams that do the right things consistently well. They smartly self-correct their mistakes and focus on those mission-critical behaviors that—when adopted as habits—dramatically improve their prospects for winning.  That same formula works in business, too.  Seasoned organizational behavior consultants Julie M. Smith and Lori Ludwig offer an excellent guide in their new book Vital Behavior Blueprint: 5 Steps to Embed Mission-Critical Habits into Your Organization’s DNA.

What’s the process for identifying the mission-critical behaviors that—when adopted as habits—can dramatically improve an organization’s targeted results?

Smith says vital behaviors are actions that need to be done consistently—and by many—to achieve results. Here’s how to find them:  look for obvious behaviors that everyone knows are a problem, ask the people who do the work, ask subject matter experts, observe high and low performers to see what they do differently, analyze the customer’s journey to uncover pain points due to human actions, find the “behavior hot spots” in work processes where unwanted behavior variability occurs, and look for “cornerstone behaviors” that are foundational to other behaviors.

Smith and Ludwig say identifying and embedding vital behaviors in an organization’s culture is both an art and a science.

“Our habit formation process is rooted in Behavior Analysis, the science of what works in behavior change,” Smith says. “Backed by more than 100 years of research, it helps organizations identify vital behaviors, observe and measure them, adjust the surrounding environment to support them, and foster self-management for lasting habits.”

Smith and Ludwig apply the 80/20 rule to an organization’s performance culture.  The key is to identify the vital 20% of behaviors that drive 80% of outcomes, and then create a positive performance culture to make those behaviors habitual. This focused approach unlocks extraordinary results.”

An “ally network,” the authors say, can play a role in building and maintaining a high-performance culture.

Smith and Ludwig say employees need what they call three pillars to turn vital behaviors into habits:  clear expectations for achieving goals, actionable feedback (weekly at a minimum) with more positive than constructive input, and barrier removal to enable desired behaviors.

So, how can leaders know when vital behaviors are being adopted as personal habits by the people in their organizations?  Measure them, Smith says, and she recommends four quick pulse checks: directly observing the performer, asking the performer to describe how they perform the behavior, reviewing work output, and asking others who’ve observed the performer.

Smith and Ludwig offer five steps for building what they call a Vital Behavior Blueprint: prioritize key business results where behavior variability limits performance; identify Key Performer Groups—teams whose consistent actions are critical for achieving those results; clarify vital behaviors that drive results, ensuring at least 85% of key performers agree they are essential and commit to adopting them; “wire” ally networks to reinforce these behaviors; and build habits by strengthening the three pillars and removing barriers.

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