Engineer high performance through science.
Weekly advice from the authors of Primed to Perform.
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Leadership
How to build a high-performing job culture, in ten pictures
Companies spend way too much time in bureaucracy. Rather than focus on performance and impact, the most common operating systems focus colleagues on deflecting blame, earning a pat on the head, attaining the next promotion, and then getting out of there. This isn't performance. It's performance art. To build companies that can thrive in the future of work, leaders must learn only ten key frameworks.
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Leadership
How to build a high-performing job culture, in ten pictures
Companies spend way too much time in bureaucracy. Rather than focus on performance and impact, the most common operating systems focus colleagues on deflecting blame, earning a pat on the head, attaining the next promotion, and then getting out of there. This isn't performance. It's performance art. To build companies that can thrive in the future of work, leaders must learn only ten key frameworks.
Read more
Motivation
How to write job descriptions that actually motivate people
Job descriptions are critical, so why are so many so bad? Job descriptions often serve as the first introduction a person has to their job. They set expectations and can help colleagues start with momentum. However, in practice, many job descriptions are uninspiring and not particularly helpful. To write exciting, useful job descriptions, infuse them with purpose, vision, and customer-centric storytelling.
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Team building
Kicking off a project? Six proven ways to unlock your team's creativity
As a leader, it can be extremely frustrating when your team struggles to solve problems. You don't want to micromanage, but you also need to land viable solutions that drive results - and do it quickly. Fortunately, there's a 6-step flow you can follow to solve problems effectively, inclusively, and efficiently.
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Productivity
The problem with performance management - and how to fix it
In too many companies, too many people are stuck in a vicious cycle of endless meetings - to the point that in order to get any work done, they have to multi-task, paying little attention in most meetings. As a result of split attention, it becomes hard to get anything done in meetings, which typically spawns yet more meetings to pick up the slack. This burden is worse for a company's most skilled people, who tend to be pulled into every issue. Not only does this burn them out; it also means they have little time to develop their colleagues' skills. This dynamic is the direct result of the most common performance management systems.
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Motivation
Why did Volkswagen cheat on their emissions testing?
Have you ever cut corners? Research and experience show that if employees are motivated by the wrong things, they are unlikely to perform their best. In the worst-case scenarios, even the best employees may cut corners, which in the worst cases can result in calamity.
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Leadership
The critical problem of our generation
The rapid advancement of technology and AI tools has made it easy to feel overwhelmed and left behind, even for technically inclined individuals. However, this problem goes beyond personal discomfort and has historical implications. Throughout history, major economic transitions driven by automation have led to increased pressure and polarization, ultimately resulting in global conflicts. To avoid repeating this pattern with the rise of artificial intelligence, it is crucial to create inclusive and adaptive work cultures that prioritize continuous learning and problem-solving skills.
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Leadership
Amazon's no outlier: the science behind broken work cultures
A toxic culture of pressure and bureaucracy has taken over many of the top companies - especially the tech giants that others look up to. To avoid burnout, organizations must build cultures that properly manage the six foundational motives of high performance.
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Productivity
There are two types of performance - but most organizations only focus on one
Many organizations are stuck in a vicious cycle, ping-ponging between being either too command-and-control or too hands-off. That's because there are two types of performance, and unless they are properly managed, increasing one typically destroys the other.
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Team building
Why Agile goes awry - and how to fix it
In the spirit of becoming more adaptive, organizations have rushed to implement Agile software development. But many have done so in a way that actually makes them less agile. These companies have become agile in name only, as the process they’ve put in place often ends up hurting engineering motivation and productivity.
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