[TT 025] performance reviews, storytelling, nuclear sub, space farming, playground art
Howdy Thrivers,
My first week of classes has been full of fascinating readings and great conversations. For example, we reviewed the cognitive biases baked into the organizational design at NASA that ultimately led to the Challenger explosion. I also had my first professional communication coaching session, and it was actually meaningful and productive. Nifty.
Well, let's get right to this week's Thriving Thursday.
On performance reviews that hurt performance
Have you ever had to sit through a performance review? According to a 2013 study in the Journal of Personnel Psychology, chances are good that you didn't like your review. Surprise!
Even more interesting is that it doesn't actually matter if the review was positive or negative, or if I crave feedback and am highly motivated for growth. I'm still unlikely to appreciate the review. Still more curious, the closer the rater points to me vs. my tasks, the more likely my performance is to decrease after the review.
And, to throw in a dash of humility, turns out performance reviews are more about the reviewer than the reviewee. Known as the idiosyncratic rater effect (studies, summary), how I am rated may reflect my rater's emotional stability more than my actual performance.
Which is no surprise then that highly subjective performance reviews simply reinforce our biases. The best coaching is real-time and employs intrinsic, aspirational motivation in an emotionally safe environment.
I find this profound both in a professional sense as well as giving coaching or feedback to children, family, and friends. Saying "this thing you did needs to change" instead of "you need to change what you do" is more likely to increase receptivity and improve performance. And to know when I feel frustrated or upset I should first look at myself before realigning familial values or goals. Wow.
On the structures of storytelling
Stories are an incredible vehicle for meaning and connection. Author Will Stor, in his book The Science of Storytelling (haven't read, but comes highly recommended), argues that our brains are hard-wired for stories and in Made to Stick (have read - light read and interesting points), the Heath brothers discuss story as one of the critical ingredients to make ideas propagate through society.
This week we had a workshop on storytelling and they shared story frameworks like SUCCES and the story spine (popularized by Pixar). We also watched a performance at a Moth Storytelling competition, and it brought back fun memories listening to Moth on NPR as a kid.
Maybe the Stor book can validate my personal experience with science - I find that successful leaders tend to be disproportionately good at storytelling. It's a craft I'm keen to hone and I'm grateful to be reminded of the value and power of this art form.
On a self-led nuclear submarine
Last week we read a case about the unique organizational structure at Sun Hydraulics, a precision-engineering firm in hydraulic valves that has no offices, titles, scheduled work hours, hierarchy or much else recognizable as a corporate or engineering business. The employee empowerment is so unexpected that, when the professor polled our class for who thought the business would fail, ~98% voted for complete failure. Instead, after the case timeline ended, Sun expanded to 5 countries, doubled in size multiple times over, weathered multiple recessions gracefully, became publicly traded, and is celebrating its 50th year anniversary. Soooo ... didn't fail?
Apparently, this style of labor management is growing in popularity and there are other notable successes. A high-ranking US Army official in our group pointed to this story of a nuclear submarine turnaround where the captain refused to give all but one order. Instead, he empowered his subordinates to take ownership and think for themselves while aligning competencies and organizational objectives.
This leadership methodology resonates with me because it aligns with my basic worldview: people want to do a good job and work hard, as long as they aren't blocked or demotivated. Most business structures orient to controlling employees from failing or screwing up. This structure orients to trusting and lifting up employees while pushing decisions down to the people with the most information and action.
A lot to digest here as I think about weaving the container for employees and volunteers at GIFT.
On growing space food ... on Earth
The NY Time recently ran a curious article on indoor farming. There are some balanced and at least one unhinged ("We've perfected mother nature indoors ..." ?!?!) perspective on the future of farming.
I agree with many of the key points made. We understand the stars as much or more than we understand the soil microbiome. Nothing can beat good, rich, healthy soil, but that the vast majority of food on our shelves comes from mono-cropping in the US or import. Indoor farming has some potentially significant advantages in resources and space efficiency. It also provides a mechanism to get hyperlocal food at scale in urban centers and, ultimately, on other planets.
I'm curious to see what it would look like to train the computer farmers to maximize for nutrients as well as taste profile. What would that take in terms of inputs to the system? And how much nutrition can they squeeze into a single serving of vegetables?
I suspect I'll see a lot of progress in exactly this domain during my lifetime.
On postmodern miniature playgrounds
Artist Christina Kruse has a new exhibition in a New York gallery with some pretty stunning work. Her multi-media and bronze sculptures are pretty epic as well.
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I'm off to ponder all the cognitive biases that I seek to systematically minimize in my current and future relationships. Of course, I have no biases and it can't possibly be me ...
Until next week,
~Henry