Every endeavour has its own narrative, and performance management is not an exception. In this article, let us look at the narratives of performance management through the lens of a camera. Let us also adjust the aperture – from ‘small’ to a ‘large aperture’ – to keep the narratives of ‘performance management’ in sharp focus.
As we are aware, a ‘small aperture’ produces deep depth-of-field – image that displays sharp focus ranging from foreground to background. On the other hand, a ‘large aperture’ keeps a subject in sharp focus by blurring out of the foreground and background – in a way, large aperture is perfect for isolating the subject and eliminating distracting elements from a scene – a key component of portrait photography. Below is an example of the large aperture effect.
The narratives of performance management
These narratives are fundamentally tied to resilience, reward, teamwork, leadership, teamwork, adaptability, and accountability, as these are critical elements for fostering an environment where individuals and teams can achieve their goals effectively.
Each of these aspects contributes to ensuring that performance management is not just about ‘evaluating outcomes’, it’s about fostering a culture where leadership inspires, resilience sustains, teamwork enables, and accountability ensures results.
Organisations that integrate and bring these elements into ‘sharp focus’ in their performance management processes are better equipped to motivate employees, navigate challenges, and achieve long-term success.
The universality of performance and performance management inspired me to bring in some story line for a stronger discussion. After considering the key aspects of performance management, I decided to introduce ‘Ben-Hur’, a 1959 American epic movie directed by William Wyler, produced by Sam Zimbalist, and starring Charlton Heston as the title character.
The movie offers several lessons that can be interpreted through the lens of performance management, particularly in leadership, motivation, teamwork, resilience and accountability.
The narrative of the movie revolves around Judah Ben-Hur’s journey of betrayal, struggle, perseverance, and eventual redemption, and within it are valuable insights for managing performance effectively in an organisational or team setting.
Let me share a summary of the movie, ‘Ben-Hur’ before I proceed further on the subject,
The story traces the plight of Judah Ben-Hur, a young Jewish prince from an influential family. As the film opens, he is reunited with his boyhood friend Messala, who is now a Roman tribune exerting great control over Jerusalem.
The two men enjoy reliving old times, but when Messala asks Ben-Hur to help stem the increasing number of protests by Jews against Roman rule, Ben-Hur declines.
The resulting rift boils over when an accident leads to Ben-Hur’s being accused of trying to kill a Roman official. Although Messala knows that Ben-Hur is innocent, he allows him to be convicted of the crime, Ben-Hur’s mother and sister are imprisoned.
Ben-Hur is made a Roman galley slave. The life of a galley slave was harsh, kept chained and barefoot in harsh conditions with poor diet. However, Judah Ben-Hur survives and returns to seek revenge by competing with Messala in a chariot race – a memorable sequence!
Now let us look at the lessons which we can draw from ‘Ben-Hur’ movie in the context of the narratives of performance management – resilience, reward, teamwork, leadership, teamwork, adaptability and accountability.
The narrative of leadership
Scene: Judah transformed from a victim of betrayal into a living figure of leadership and redemption. His actions inspired others and he demonstrated how the personal strengths and convictions can influence those around him and the generations to come.
Lesson: Great leaders inspire others through their core values and actions. In performance management, leadership plays an important role in setting an example, guiding and empowering employees to rise above challenges.
The narrative of resilience:
Scene: Judah Ben-Hur’s survived as a galley slave (slave who rowed on galleys, which were flat-bottomed boats used in the Mediterranean) which rightly demonstrated his extraordinary physical and mental resilience. Despite extreme odds and acute hardships, he remained determined to reclaim his freedom with dignity.
Lessons: Leaders must encourage resilience in employees by fostering a growth mindset to achieve their annual goals and business objectives.
Leaders must provide all possible support during challenging times, recognise and reward the employees who persevered through adversity and challenges keeping the organisational objectives as top priority.
The narrative of teamwork / collaboration
Scene: The importance of synergy between ‘man and horses’ can be seen in the chariot race sequence, which is famous in film and inspired the making of many other race scenes in later movies. Judah’s ability to maintain the highest level of composure, guiding his horses and adapt to the most demanding and difficult challenges during the race highlights the power of coordination, focus and energy.
Lesson: As we are aware, the teams succeed when all members and supporting systems are aligned focused toward a common goals and objectives. Leaders must create the right environment to ensure that every employee’s contribution complements the collective effort and purpose.
The lesson of adaptability
Scene: During the chariot race, Judah could foresee and anticipated that his rival Messala’s moves. Accordingly, he adapted to the ‘dangerous conditions of the track’ and ultimately winning the race.
Lesson: In the dynamic business environment, adaptability is crucial. Accordingly, performance management should reward individuals who can think strategically and adjust their thinking and approaches to achieve business objectives.
The lesson of reward
Scene: During the time of the naval battle, Judah showed exceptional performance as a rower, The brave act of Judah rightly earned him the trust of the Roman commander, Quintus Arrius, who rewarded him by freeing him and making him his protege.
Lessons: It is important that commander – the leader – must recognise and reward high performers who consistently demonstrate focus, initiative and excellence even in the most difficult time.
Here, performance-based rewards through objective and transparent ‘performance pay’ system always help in building morale and sustained motivation.
The lesson of accountability
Scene: The central theme of the movie revolves around betrayal and redemption. Judah was determined and accountable for reclaiming his honour and sought justice for the wrongs done to him and his family. His journey, as shown in the movie, depicted the importance of balance between fairness and personal accountability.
Lesson: Accountability is the central point of performance management. Employees must take full ownership of their goals and actions to achieve the goals and on the other hand, the leaders must create a right environment where recognition and consequences are distributed fairly to foster a culture of fairness and justice.
To conclude, ‘Ben-Hur’ is not only a story of personal triumph of Judah Ben-Hur but it also manifests narratives with valuable lessons: leadership inspires, resilience sustains, teamwork enables, and accountability resonates with effective performance management.