Peak Performance: Ownership of Your Project

Peak performance starts with your people. Sometimes, you get to start fresh. You can choose who will join your startup, build your product, or make your movie. You hire the most inspired to reach your goal; those who believe in your mission.

Other times, you inherit a team. Your people may not share your audacious goals. They may need inspiration. In that case, you have to make the desired outcome their goal too.

This was never more true than when I was adventure racing in Borneo. This time it wasn’t my team that faced a crossroads: it was the team that was seeded to win, Team Intersport. On the day the race was to begin, one member of the French Team Intersport broke an ankle. At that point, Team Intersport faced a tough decision. They could forfeit. Or, they could wander around the rainforest near the start line and see if they could find someone who could fit the team uniform and was willing to race.

Hire the inspired

At the time, we were in a remote part of Borneo. The starting location had six huts and a schoolhouse. There wasn’t a large pool of people or athletes to choose from. Despite this hurdle, the Team Intersport members knocked on doors until a 35-year-old farmer and father of three answered the door.

Dawat Mutang seemed a mismatch at the time. Dawat didn’t know a word of French and the Team Intersport didn’t speak much English. Neither did Dawat know how to paddle a canoe, use climbing gear, or ride a bike. But he did have one thing the team needed. Dawat was inspired to compete.

Sometimes it’s better to hire someone who is inspired over someone who has the “right” skills. Except for some serious professions (law, medicine, or engineering, for example), skills can be taught. Inspiration is harder to come by.

So when you find an inspired person, hire them. I do the same thing for my foundation Project Athena. I hire people who are inspired to help others; then I find the right job for them.

Inspire the hired

Even the inspired can lose inspiration. As inspired as Dawat was to help Team Intersport win, things could have gone sideways. Team Intersport could have broken his spirit by criticism or excluding him from decisions. Instead, the team included Dawat as a full member. They gave him a full voice on the team goals and valued his unique competencies. Dawat contributed more to the team by bringing his own unique skill set rather than if he had been an accomplished expedition racing champion.

Dawat used his knowledge of the terrain to aid the team. He knew the different types of muds, how to use animal tracks, and the best way to bushwhack from village to village. And the team listened to his advice, letting his voice be heard in setting goals. Because Dawat stay inspired, Team Intersport was able to finish in second place overall.

The same can be done with your employees. Your employees want to be inspired. They want to feel like part of a team. One of the best ways to inspire your hired is to give employees ownership of their goals. No one wants to have their goals dictated to them.

You can give them ownership in three ways: allow employees to choose their own goals, give them a democratic voice in the goals your team chooses, and value each person’s unique competencies, letting them lead in their areas of strength.

As I said before, I do this with Project Athena. I get to know my team members and let them use their unique skills to contribute to the foundation’s success.

So when you want your team to achieve peak performance, hired the inspired and inspire your hires! You’ll be surprised by what you can achieve when your team finds deep inspiration for your team’s goals. Remember: motivation is for now; inspiration is forever. Xo