Moment #96 Not Every Organization Wants Performance - No Bullsh!t Leadership

No Bullsh!t Leadership — Moment #96

Episode Title: Not Every Organization Wants Performance
Host: Martin G Moore
Release Date: November 24, 2024

Episode Overview

In this “Moments with Marty” edition, Martin G Moore explores the uncomfortable truth that not every organization—despite outward claims—truly aims for high performance. He discusses the realities of working in low-performance cultures, especially in sectors where competition is minimal or non-existent. Marty offers advice for leaders who want to make a difference, even when surrounded by mediocrity.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

The “High Performing Team” Cliché

Leadership Myth: Many leaders boast about building high-performing teams, often ignoring objective evidence to the contrary.
Quote:

“The proverbial high performing team has become a leadership cliché. I cannot count the number of leaders who claim to have built a high performing team, often despite objective evidence to the contrary.”
— Martin G Moore [01:24]

Recognizing Low Performance Cultures

Even organizations with “high performance” rhetoric may actually run on low performance expectations.
There is often an unspoken pact among senior leaders to maintain the illusion that everyone is excelling.
Quote:

“No one is ever going to admit that the culture of their organization is inexorably geared to low performance.”
— Martin G Moore [01:58]

Why Do Some Organizations Tolerate Low Performance?

Lack of Competition:
- In government agencies and regulated monopolies (e.g., utilities, public infrastructure), there’s no market pressure to excel.
- Focus shifts toward budget protection and maintaining the status quo.
- Quote:
  
  “It’s inordinately easier to get away with low performance in a non-competitive environment... There’s no performance imperative because there’s no alternative source of those products and services.”
  — Martin G Moore [02:20]
Not Exclusive to Public Sector:
- While common in government and monopolies, any organization without external pressure can fall into this trap.

How to Spot a Low-Performance Organization

Marty highlights several telltale signs (from episode 239):

Focus on Process, Not Results:
- Excessive attention to rules and procedures over concrete outcomes.
- Quote:
  
  “The first sign of low performance is the lack of focus on results. Instead, the focus is on processes and rules.”
  — Martin G Moore [03:27]
Lax Performance Standards:
- Almost no consequences exist for poor behavior or low output.
- Overemphasis on “kindness” leads to tolerance of everything.
- Quote:
  
  “There are no consequences for the choices people make about their performance or behaviour... There’s almost nothing that won’t be tolerated in the name of kindness and understanding.”
  — Martin G Moore [03:40]
Resistance to Change:
- New ideas or challenges to the status quo are typically shut down.
- Insiders rationalize their way as “the right way” and exclude dissenters.
- Quote:
  
  “We do it this way for a reason. And if you don’t agree, it could be that you don’t understand it well enough. Either that or you’re simply not one of us.”
  — Martin G Moore [03:52]
Righteous Rationalizations:
- Positive-sounding values (e.g., “we care about people”, “we’re family”) are used to conceal performance shortcomings.
- Quote:
  
  “We care about our people. We’re an inclusive organisation. Everyone has a place here. We’re a family. We put people before profits. Sound familiar?”
  — Martin G Moore [04:05]

Can You Thrive in a Low-Performance Organization?

You can still learn, grow, and make an impact, but the culture’s inertia will likely drive away genuine high performers over time.
True satisfaction comes from leading a genuinely high-performing team, which may not be possible in every organization.
Quote:

“You’re unlikely to ever experience that deep joy and satisfaction that comes from leading a crack team of high performers who are operating at their peak.”
— Martin G Moore [04:25]

What Can Leaders Do?

Create an “Island of Excellence”:
- Even if the broader culture isn’t supportive, you can set high standards and foster top performance within your own team.
- Quote:
  
  “The only way to counter this is to create an island of excellence in your team and give them the gift of strong leadership.”
  — Martin G Moore [04:38]
Realistic Outlook:
- Accept that not all organizations want or will support real performance improvement.
- Lead anyway—your influence can matter to those close to you.

Further Listening Recommendation

Marty points listeners to episode 239, “Leading in a Low Performance Culture”, for a deeper dive into this topic.
[04:50]

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

“The proverbial high performing team has become a leadership cliché...” [01:24]
“No one is ever going to admit that the culture of their organization is inexorably geared to low performance.” [01:58]
“It’s inordinately easier to get away with low performance in a non-competitive environment...” [02:20]
“The first sign of low performance is the lack of focus on results. Instead, the focus is on processes and rules.” [03:27]
“You’re unlikely to ever experience that deep joy and satisfaction that comes from leading a crack team of high performers...” [04:25]
“Create an island of excellence in your team and give them the gift of strong leadership.” [04:38]

Timestamps for Important Segments

[01:18] — Introduction to the theme: high-performing teams vs. reality
[01:58] — Recognition of low performance cultures despite outward rhetoric
[02:20] — Explanation: why lack of competition leads to low performance
[03:27] — Four telltale signs of low-performance cultures
[04:25] — The effects on high performers and what leaders can do
[04:50] — Invitation to learn more in episode 239

Summary Tone & Language

Martin G Moore delivers his insights with trademark candor, challenging leaders to see past platitudes and to recognize the tough truths of organizational culture. His tone is direct, pragmatic, and laced with practical advice—encouraging listeners to cut through the “BS” and make a real difference where they can, even in challenging environments.

Transcript

A (0:00)

Every time you step into a bigger role, or even when you've been in the seat for a while, the same traps show up. Slipping back into old habits, avoiding the hard conversations that actually lift performance, and overcompensating for poor performers instead of leading at level. Now, if any of that sounds familiar, our brand new live workshop is for you. It's called the first 90 days at any New how to Win Trust, Build Credibility and Deliver Results. Marty and I are running it on September 17th live on Zoom, and if you show up live, you'll get the blind spot Identify Tool, a resource that exposes the hidden gaps holding leaders back. Save your free spot now at bit ly NBL90. That's bit ly NBL90. I can't wait to see you there. Welcome to the no Bullshit Leadership Podcast. In a world where knowledge has become a commod, this podcast is designed to give you something more access to the experience of a successful CEO who has already walked the path. So join your host, Martin Moore, who will unlock and bring to life your own leadership experiences and accelerate your journey to leadership excellence.

B (1:18)

Welcome to Moments with Marty, your short, sharp shot of leadership insight to help you stay on track between our weekly episodes of the no Bullshit Leadership Podcast. The proverbial high performing team has become a leadership cliche. I cannot count the number of leaders who claim to have built a high performing team, often despite objective evidence to the contrary. But what if the culture of the organisation that you're leading in is actually a low performance culture? How would you know when all the rhetoric coming from above is about high performance? No one is ever going to admit that the culture of their organisation is inexorably geared to low performance. There's an unspoken pact that the most senior leaders will keep up the ruse that everyone is performing extremely well. Now, let's face it, to say anything else would be impolite. It's inordinately easier to get away with low performance in a non competitive environment. It just is. Why? Because there are no market forces to keep the senior leadership honest. Government agencies come to mind, as do businesses that operate in regulated monopoly markets like the companies that deliver water and electricity and transportation infrastructure. There's no performance imperative because there's no alternative source of those products and services. Now often this encourages the leadership to focus on increasing their operating budget allocation and protecting the status quo. Don't get me wrong, there are always great people in these organisations with strong work ethic and high standards and a desire to be the best they can be for their stakeholders. Unfortunately, Though they exist in a culture that is by its very nature destined for low performance. Now, I'm not saying this is the exclusive domain of government agencies and regulated monopolies by any means. It's a matter of degree. And like many things, there's a range of performance settings between the two bookends of a continuum. But without competition to keep an organization sharp, it's really easy to see how the sheer insularity of its operating parameters can make it fat, dumb and happy. How would you know if you were leading in a culture where better performance wasn't the ultimate objective? In episode 239, leading in a low performance culture, I outlined 10 telltale signs to look for. Here's a few of them. The first sign of low performance is the lack of focus on results. Instead, the focus is on processes and rules. The second sign is that the culture adopts an extremely lax standard for individual performance. There are no consequences for the choices people make about their performance or behaviour. There's almost nothing that won't be tolerated in the name of kindness and understanding. The third sign is resistance to change. We do it this way for a reason. And if you don't agree, it could be that you don't understand it well enough. Either that or you're simply not one of us. And the fourth tell tale sign is the frequent rationalisation for all of the above issues in an effort to mask the performance weaknesses in Righteous Nobility. We care about our people. We're an inclusive organisation. Everyone has a place here. We're a family. We put people before profits. Sound familiar? If you do find yourself in one of these organisations, don't worry. You can still make a difference. You can still have a great career. You can still face complex problems and interesting challenges. You can still be a great leader for your team. But you're unlikely to ever experience that deep joy and satisfaction that comes from leading a crack team of high performers who who are operating at their peak. The organization's lack of appetite for change will eventually drive most of the high performers out. Now the only way to counter this is to create an island of excellence in your team and give them the gift of strong leadership. Even if the people above you don't share your level of commitment to striving for the best possible outcomes. For more depth on this insight, have a listen to episode 239 of the no Bullshit Leadership podcast, Leading in a Low Performance Culture. We'll leave a link in the show. Notes. I really hope you enjoyed this moment and that it gives you that little extra spark to be a no bullshit leader.