You can use the online calendar to post your organization's events.  We will even allow the posting of events which compete with NetSuds and MedSuds events.  The calendars are free to use for both tracking events and for posting your own events.

Non-Minnesota companies conducting events in Minnesota will not be allowed to post events for free, even if they are teaming up with a Minnesota company.  Non-Minnesota companies or organizations should contact matt@netsuds.com to discuss the fees associated with posting such events. 

6.0   NetSuds CEO Roundtable - Next Roundtables starting in January 2005

NetSuds is opening up another group of CEO Roundtables in January 2005.  If you are tech or medtech CEO and want to join us, (the first session is free), contact matt@netsuds.com.  A synopsis of the CEO Roundtable can be found at www.netsuds.com/ceo/  It is repeated here as well.

NetSuds CEO Roundtable

Membership  Only CEOs of tech and medtech companies are allowed to join the NetSuds CEO Roundtable.  If you are a VP, CxO or President, you are not welcome unless you also hold the CEO title.  Perhaps we will start a CFO, CTO or COO Roundtable but until then, we are only interested in the top dog, the CEO.  If you are interested in becoming a member, contact matt@netsuds.com.  Membership is not automatic.  There must be an available spot open in the roundtable.  You must have employees.  Your company must be incorporated.  Your company must be a tech (communications, IT, software, Internet) or medtech (medtech, biotech, life sciences) company.  You must pay a yearly fee of $1500 in advance.  You may not send substitutes to the Roundtable. 

Roles  Unlike the days of knights, kings and Camelot, there is no king of the NetSuds CEO Roundtable; only a facilitator; Matt Noah, CEO of NetSuds.com, Inc.  Knights are replaced by CEOs and the table won't be quite round.

Schedule  The Roundtable will meet 10 times per calendar year on the last Tuesday of every month.  Each meeting lasts 2.0 hours starting at 7 am.  A facility convenient to the majority of Roundtable members is used.  A continental breakfast is served.
 

7.0   NetSuds Executive Search - www.netsuds.com/search/

See the following URL for more information on our executive search service - www.netsuds.com/search/

8.0   The Performance Equation: THE FORMULA FOR DRAMATIC AND SUSTAINABLE PERFORMANCE

By NetSudser Douglas A. Peters, dougpeters@dspergrp.com, 763-479-3637 

The most basic problem with the current performance paradigm is its heavy reliance on narrowly focused interventions that address only a single aspect of performance. For example, a training program designed to increase the ability of people to work on high performance teams is often rendered useless by an unsupportive or even hostile culture and the negative attitudes of participants who realize this is “just not the way we do things around here.”

In such a case, training delivered the knowledge and skills to perform.  But, because of being narrowly focused only on knowledge and skills, such training often fails to address the cultural and attitudinal issues that create significant “roadblocks” to performers applying what they have learned. As a result, in such cases there is often minimal transference of learning to the job and little improvement in team performance. 

THE FORMULA FOR DRAMATIC AND SUSTAINABLE PERFORMANCE

The Performance Equation reduces performance down into four basic elements that are common to all human performance. To achieve dramatic and sustainable human performance one must understand these four elements and the relationship between the elements of performance.

The Performance Equation states that knowledge and skills are additive. Knowledge without skills makes you a consultant or a commentator – I know, but I cannot do. Skills without knowledge make you a “natural.” But even the naturals must acquire knowledge if they are to increase their performance beyond the natural capability that has been given to them. It is the individual who possesses high levels of both knowledge and skills that will consistently achieve the highest level of performance.

Environmental Roadblocks (3) – The Opportunity to Perform

To achieve high performance, people must have the opportunity to use their ability to perform. Environmental Roadblocks are those aspects of an organization’s infrastructure and culture that inhibit the use of ability. The training program to develop high performance teams referenced earlier was rendered useless by a hostile culture and negative attitudes as participants learn that, “This is not the way we do things around here!”

Environmental Roadblocks are in the denominator because they dramatically reduce the opportunity for individuals to use their existing abilities and/or develop new abilities. Think of ability as the accelerator on a car and environmental roadblocks as the brakes. It is hard to get performance out of your car when you have one foot on the accelerator and the other foot on the brake.

Attitude (4) – The Willingness to Perform

To achieve high performance, people must be willing to use their knowledge and skills and be willing to overcome the inherent environmental roadblocks that will inhibit their performance. Attitudes, the fourth element of performance, determine if people are willing to use their existing abilities, are willing to develop new abilities, and are willing to overcome the environmental roadblocks to their performance. As one popular phrase puts it, “Think you can, think you can’t, either way you will be right!”  Individual attitudes, therefore, are a basic element of all human performance.

Attitudes are a multiplier on the equation because willing people learn faster, change quicker, and will work longer and harder to maximize their performance and achieve success.

Individuals with negative attitudes reduce their ability to perform because they are often unwilling to use their skills, develop new skills, or overcome environmental roadblocks to performance. Participants with a negative attitude toward a training program, for example, will find some reason not to learn even if they have to resort to complaining about the food or the temperature of the classroom.

It should be noted that attitudes are also an outcome of the relationship between Ability and Opportunity. People who have the ability to perform, but are inhibited or punished for using their ability, are in a toxic situation where they can do good things and have bad things happen to them. This tends to develop bad attitudes and a cynical work force. On the other hand, people who lack the ability to perform, but have an organization that provides both the opportunity to perform and the opportunity to develop the ability to perform, are in a supportive situation full of opportunity. This tends to create very positive attitudes and a motivated work force.

INTEGRATED PERFORMANCE STRATEGIES

Knowledge plus skills creates the ability to perform. Removing environmental roadblocks creates the opportunity to perform. Developing positive attitudes creates the willingness to perform. When ability and willingness are met with opportunity, dramatic and sustainable performance can be achieved.

SUMMARY

The Performance Equation reduces the complexity of any performance issue down to three variables that are straightforward and easily understood. Does the individual, team or organization have the ability, willingness and opportunity to perform? This allows executive discussions to stay at a very high level but remain focused on a very specific and limited set of variables. 

Focusing on these three variables provides a simple and straightforward way for engaging management in discussions on the probability of an intervention resulting in dramatic and sustainable performance improvement. The Performance Equation allows management to easily understand the relationships between the elements of performance and calculate the impact of specific actions or inactions.

Understanding the answer to this question allows executive management to make better decisions on how the approach performance problems. Decisions on investments in training, teambuilding and organizational are dramatically improved when they are measure against the elements of the performance equation. By assuring these efforts address all four elements of the performance equation the executive is assuring the maximum return on their investment in performance improvement.  

The Performance Equation allows executives to confidently take a strong leadership role when addressing complex performance problems. They know the right questions to ask – Do they have the ability, willingness and opportunity to perform? – and they know the right approach to take – An Integrated Performance Strategy that address ability, willingness and opportunity!

9.0   Guest Writers for This Report

I have opened up the Monthly NetSuds Report to guest writers. If you have a passion for a topic, and you can write (at least no worse than me), send an email to me matt@netsuds.com.  You can even send copies of your work.  It needs to be on "com and .com" topics and can include entrepreneur/investor activities.  Good information from our service providers and vendors is also welcome so long as it is not a "commercial" for any one company or individual.

If you are aware of others who would like to receive the NetSuds Report, ask them to visit http://www.netsuds.net/mail.htm to subscribe or unsubscribe.

Please send your comments and feedback regarding this issue of the NetSuds Report to matt@netsuds.com.

Matt Noah

980 Lake Susan Hills Drive
Chanhassen, MN  55317

612.605.5252
fax:  612.677.3934
matt@netsuds.com

© 2000-2005 NetSuds.com™, Inc.  All Rights Reserved.