Google.
Most leaders think pressure and control creates performance. Google built an empire proving the opposite.
I’m reading Work Rules by Laszlo Bock about how Google built, and protects, its culture.
Culture that innovates, performs and makes Google one of the best places to work at.
The first chapters start with something freedom.
A surprising thing happens when you give people a clear mission, take care of their needs, and then give them freedom to figure out the how.
They do more.
They do better.
They exceed what’s expected.
Not because they’re controlled.
Not because they’re pushed.
Because they’re trusted, they'll figure it out.
I notice the same thing in my coaching.
I rarely get resistance anymore. Not because my clients are superhumans. But because we don’t start with “Here’s what you should do and why you should care.”
We start with clarity.
Why does this matter to you?
What would success actually look like?
What would change in your life if this worked?
Then we look at support.
What do you need?
What’s in the way?
Where do you want to begin?
And then - choice.
Not my plan.
Their plan.
Their way.
Take a leader working on sleep.
We dig into why it matters to them. We draw a vivid picture of what rested, sharp leadership looks like. We design support around their real life. And they choose where to start.
Then something interesting happens.
They don’t just improve.
They outperform their old self, their own expectations.
It makes me think.
Whether you’re coaching one person, leading a team, running a company the size of Google, or shaping a country, maybe the path to performance is the same?
Clarity.
Purpose.
Support.
Freedom.
Not control.
Not pushing.
Not pressure.
Over to you, dear reader,
What goal are you working toward right now? Have you given yourself enough clarity?
Enough purpose? Enough support?
And enough freedom to choose your way forward?
Or are you still trying to force yourself into compliance?
Pick one goal. Write down the mission. List one support you need. Decide one way you’ll approach it.
PS They say people respond to control and pressure in only 2 ways. Compliance or defiance. Compliance can only last and do that much before it turns into defiance.