If you are trying to improve performance, what should you focus on? Increasing success? Or, reducing failure?
It really depends on where you are, either personally (as a teacher) or organizationally (as a leader).
If your success rate is relatively low, less than 92%, then focus on increasing success. Let’s face it, an 80% success rate in a school setting (which many educators are happy with) means that A LOT of students are not successful.
When your success rate moves past 92%, start focusing on reducing failures. On paper, reducing failure rates is the same thing as increasing success rates. But in practice, this change in mindset forces you to question everything in your process and prevents you from becoming satisfied and complacent.
But there is also a hidden third choice, selected by the highest of high performers. If you find yourself in the position of consistently performing at a high level, then change the game. Start playing a game no one else is playing. For example, if 95% of your graduating seniors are enrolling in college, then your goal should be getting 25% of your students accepted in top 50 colleges and universities in the country.
When you change the game you are playing, not only will you continue to outperform the competition, at some point, you will show the profession where the next ceiling of performance lies.
Think. Work. Achieve.
Your turn…
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