Performance = potential – interf

Performance = potential – interference (P=p-i)

Do you look for “Aha!” moments when you read? I do. I read mostly business related books – once in a while dive into the classics – but mostly business and creativity related books. I read especially for those Aha! moments… bits of information that expand my knowledge or skills in a meaningful way!

I had an Aha! moment while reading Michael Bungay Stanier’s book “Get Unstuck & Get Going” In his book, which offers a cool solution to help generate ideas (more on his book in a future post), Michael quotes from a book titled “The Inner Game of Work” by Tim Gallwey. This is what sparked my Aha!:

P=p-i

Performance = potential – interference

Your performance is equal to what you are capable of when you remove obstacles.

Cool, huh?!

What obstacles are holding you back (creating interference) in life, at your job, or with your company that usurps your potential and prevents the performance you are truly capable of?

Interference can be in all shapes and forms including: lack of knowledge, personal bias, a bad boss, or your own procrastination.

Not to put too fine a point on it, what’s nice about this equation is that it breaks the common problem “We just can’t seem to get ‘this‘ done!” into three chunks.

Chunk 1 – Performance -> the ‘this‘… your goal, objective

Chunk 2 – Potential -> what we are capable of

Chunk 3 – Interference -> barriers, blockades, obstructions

The solution to your problem lies in either modifying potential or eliminating interference… If there are no apparent obstacles, you’ll know that you need to improve skills… So your solution will be found in learning.

If you know how to do it, but are somehow blocked… Your solution will be in managing obstacles… either tearing them down, going around, cutting through, etc…

In the Idea Sandbox, we spend most of our time helping clients eliminate interference… The interference which prevents you or your company from effectively solving problems, being remarkable, and highly effective branding.

Let me know your reactions. Does thinking about challenges in this context help you?

Recommended Reading

“Get Unstuck & Get Going” by Michael Bungay Stanier

“The Inner Game of Work” by Tim Gallway