4 Big Signs to Guarantee Your Performance Won't Turn Around

August 9, 2022

Got gaps?

How do you know whether your performance is going to turn around?

That’s a great question.

So many leaders I serve are trying to turn their campus performance around.

Some are academic, others are operational. Both impact reputation and demand.

Sometimes that means moving a stuck or declining project into growth. Other times, they sense they’re losing momentum and want to gain a foothold for tomorrow.

These are tumultuous times for so many campus leaders as entire systems are being disrupted.

Good news… You are not alone and have friends in the hotel industry, movie theatres, taxi companies, news, music industry, churches, restaurant industry, and malls – all struggling with seismic shifts in how people currently behave.

It’s hard to be a cab company in an era of Lyft, a grocery store in the era of UberEats, a theatre in the era of Hulu, Amazon Prime, Netflix, and Apple TV, a brick-and-mortar store in the era of Amazon, or a church in the era of a million online options and the rise of post-modern America.

Likewise, every institutional leader is hoping to snap their fingers and magically go back to 1990 where they were the best (and perhaps only) show in town.

In light of all that, how do you know if your system will stay viable (in demand) in the year 2030?

I’m an optimist and a prisoner of hope. I believe you can do far more than you can imagine, and that the future is abundantly bright. I’ve also seen campus leaders spin their wheels while fight losing battles left and right. Nobody wants to be the person forced to sell CDs in the age of Spotify.

Unwittingly, many of you are doing just that.

Community trust and your capture rate of students is lower than most leaders desire or know how to manage. So, how do you know whether things will turn around?

While that’s tough to answer universally, there are common patterns I’ve seen in leadership that are worth naming.

Here are four big signs to guarantee your performance won’t turn around.

These are gut checks, so buckle up…

1. You’re Jamming What Worked (In The Past) Into A World That No Longer Exists

At the most basic level, too many leaders try to revive what was in demand in the past rather than find what will work in their current reality. That’s understandable for a few reasons.

First, most humans are wired to be most comfy with the known than with the unknown.

If you remember something that worked, it’s easier to say “let’s spin that wheel again” than trying to blaze an unknown trail into the future.

Building a nicer, shinier taxi fleet is an easier-to-grasp idea than imagining the day when people use private car sharing to hail rides off an app.

Second, the past has a nostalgia the future never does. We tend to romanticize the past and worry about the future, and leaders easily forget how innovative and controversial some of the things were a decade ago (think 1000 songs in your pocket, using your credit card online, or checking out your own groceries).

I’m not against the past at all, but if most of your efforts are spent trying to revive what worked yesterday, you’re probably going to have a less preferable tomorrow.

Ask yourself, is most of your energy spent trying to revive what was, or build what will be? Your response will be the palm-read of your future.

2. Your Metrics Are Tethered To The Past, Not To The Future

Every leader has metrics they track, but often leaders track the wrong metrics. Tracking overall enrollment, retention, course completion, and graduation rates are necessary, but when you only see general data, you can get into long debates about what it means. 15 people will come up with 15 reasons why things are flat or underperforming.

The smarter we are, the better excuses we can generate for why performance is lacking.

Rather than tracking conventional data, you might start tracking demographic data. How many young families new to your community are you seeing? How many single parent homes are you serving?

Tracking demographics can show you trends (either positive or negative trends) that give you information on whether there’s light at the end of your current tunnel.

And don’t ignore the internet. A ridiculous number of campus leaders either don’t track their online data or don’t know what to do with what they find beyond knowing whether it’s growing or not growing.

Google Analytics and social apps can give you a crazy amount of data on who you’re reaching or not reaching (I know, this is scary, but this is the world we live in and I’m trusting you’re a leader who is committed to using these stats to make the world a better place.)

For example, I know the bulk of the readers of this blog are between 35-45 years of age, and the top cities for my readers and listeners (hello Minneapolis, Phoenix, Atlanta, New York, Los Angeles, and London…).

What are some specific digital artifacts that you might want to track to see if you’re making inroads or not?

Side Note: You might do community focus groups with people curious about your campus/district and others who have recently left for another to discover what’s what.

You tend to manage what you measure. So, measure better.

Change is inevitable. Irrelevance isn’t.

But the reality is that far too many campuses aren’t shifting quickly enough.

That’s why I’m on tour with the RECLAIM MOMENTUM {LIVE} Keynote. It’s a value-packed event where we’ll dissect the 6 Lead Measures of Building Irresistible Campus Culture and get equipped with a framework to lead successful change with less resistance.

3. You’re More Committed to the Method Than You Are To the Mission

This is one of the most telling signs of the success or demise of your turn around. Ask yourself: Are you more committed to the method than you are to the mission?

Even though almost everyone I ask answers that question by saying “the mission,” reality suggests differently.

Fundamentally in an era of massive disruption, the mission is fixed. The methods flex.

The market for the mission never goes away, it just changes.

The mission is:

✅ Transportation. The method is taxis, Uber or Lyft.

✅ Photography. The method is Instagram and smartphones, or film and printed pictures.

✅ Travel. The method is a hotel or Airbnb.

In education, the mission is to prepare students for their preferred future. The method is on- campus learning, virtual learning, public schools, private schools, 4-year university, 2-year transfer colleges, certification programs, workforce, etc.

Here’s the bottom line: To preserve the mission, you must constantly reinvent the method.

I love writing. My blog has doubled in downloads each month since 2021 and it’s been a much bigger success than I ever dreamed. My colleagues ask me if I’ll write forever. When I tell them no, they often look surprised.

Here’s why I say no: My mission isn’t blogging. It’s just a method. My mission is to optimize higher team performance. Right now, blogging is a great method. When it stops being effective—or before it stops being effective—I’ll reinvent.

4. You Constantly Criticize The People Who Are Gaining Traction

A final sign that you will get and stay stuck is when you persistently criticize the people in your sector who are gaining traction.

It’s easy to hate the innovators, to make fun of the next-gen learning providers. Those who are bending or breaking tradition or who just don’t understand the value of a conventional “campus experience.”

At a more sinister level, you may even villainize the motives of people who are reinventing the learning experience.

So often leaders on the decline adopt a critical spirit about everything around them.

Just stop. Adopt a critical mind, not a critical spirit.

Great leaders have critical minds, not critical spirits.

Be a student. Study what’s working and examine what you do because of past practice rather than impact. Study it hard enough until you understand it.

Stop the eye-rolling.

Listen. Learn.

Humble yourself.

A critical mind will figure out why certain things are working and why other things aren’t. A critical spirit shuts down all learning and will accelerate your expiration date.

Stop being a critic. As a student, you’ll be far more likely to push against the gravitational pull of average, underperformance, and obsolescence.

Change is inevitable. Irrelevance Isn't.

What’s your strategy to prepare for the future? What’s your strategy for leading change?

I’m on a coast-to-coast tour with the RECLAIM MOMENTUM {LIVE} Keynote. It’s a value-packed event where we’ll:

✅ Dissect the 6 Lead Measures of Building Irresistible Campus Culture

✅ Equip your team with a framework to lead effective change with less resistance.

It’s time to get a framework for leading that change that doesn't tear your campus apart.

Without a solid strategy, all you get is pushback, opposition, confusion, and anger.

With a proven strategy, you’ll become equipped to lead something bigger and more impactful than you might ask or imagine.

Keep ‘er growing!

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Higher Performance Insights | ONE BAD APPLE

By HPG Info • July 8, 2025

How a single leader can sink your team (and how one good one can save it) Last month, a superintendent I work with shared what happened during her presentation of the strategic plan to the board. Twenty years of experience, proven results, polished presentation, and promising data. Halfway through, one executive team member sat back, arms crossed, occasionally checking his phone. A board member started shuffling papers. By the end, three others had adopted the same disengaged body language. What should have been an energizing strategic discussion devolved into polite nods and no real commitment. That same week, a university president I consult with described identical dynamics in her executive team meeting. Different building, same pattern: one person's negativity was infecting the entire senior leadership. This painful parallel revealed a leadership truth that research confirms: one person can significantly impact your team's performance by as much as 30-40%. But one person can also save it completely. The Brutal Science: Your Star Leaders Might Be Your Biggest Problem You've hired brilliant people. Advanced degrees, proven results, impressive credentials. But here's what organizational behavior expert Will Phelps discovered when he planted one "bad apple" into 44 different work groups: Performance dropped 30-40% consistently. It didn't matter if the person was: The Skeptic (aggressively questioning every initiative) The Withdrawer (withholding effort on strategic planning) The Pessimist (negative about every proposal) The result was always the same: One leader's negative behavior infected the entire team. "I'd gone in expecting that someone would get upset with the slacker or downer," Phelps said. "But nobody did. They were like, 'Okay, if that's how it is, then we'll be slackers and downers too.'" Your leadership team isn't choosing to underperform. They're unconsciously mirroring the energy around them—what neuroscientists call "emotional contagion." Where One Leader Changes Everything However, one group in Phelps' study remained energetic and produced excellent results despite the presence of the bad apple. The difference wasn't intelligence, experience, or positional authority. It was one person who understood what MIT's Human Dynamics Lab calls "belonging cues"—micro-signals that create a sense of psychological safety. This leader didn't take charge or give motivational speeches. Instead, he did something much simpler: When resistance emerged during budget discussions, he leaned forward, made eye contact, and responded with genuine curiosity. Not fake positivity, but authentic interest that "took the danger out of the room." Then came the pivot: "That's an interesting concern—what would you suggest we do differently?" Result? Even the resistant member, almost against his will, found himself contributing constructively. The Neuroscience Behind Leadership Infection MIT's Human Dynamics Lab studied hundreds of executive teams using "sociometers"—devices that measure micro-interactions between leaders. Their finding changes everything: You can predict team performance by focusing on how leaders interact rather than what they say. The five factors that drive executive team performance: Everyone talks and listens in roughly equal measure High levels of eye contact and energetic gestures Direct communication between all members, not just with the CEO Back-channel conversations and side discussions Members who explore outside the team and bring information back Notice what's missing from this list? Degrees. Experience. Strategic expertise. Belonging cues matter more than credentials. The neuroscience is clear: simple safety signals reduce cognitive load in decision-making, which in turn increases strategic thinking, drives innovation, and creates breakthrough results (Edmondson, 1999). Your leadership team dynamics are literally working for or against your mission. The Executive Infection Gap: When Smart Leaders Create Stupid Results Every negative interaction in your cabinet costs you: Faculty who disengage because they sense leadership division Students who suffer when initiatives fail due to leadership dysfunction Community members who lose confidence witnessing leadership conflicts The research is concerning: 30 seconds—that's how long it takes for negative energy to spread in executive meetings If one senior leader checks out, others follow unconsciously When leadership teams can't create safety, organizational initiatives die Allowing negativity to spread among your senior team affects every student you serve. From Infection to Connection: The Framework That Works ❌ The Typical Approach (Actually Destructive): Hope the resistant leader comes around Cabinet meeting scenario: Your executive team member constantly questions every initiative, rolls their eyes during presentations, and makes dismissive comments. You address it privately, but nothing changes. Other team members start to disengage. Result: Strategic planning stalls. Good initiatives die. High-performing leaders start looking elsewhere. ✅ The Breakthrough Approach (Game-Changing): Respond to resistance with curiosity and inclusion Same scenario, different response: When the executive team member questions an initiative, you lean forward and say, "You're raising important concerns—help us think through what success would look like from your perspective." Then pivot: "What do the rest of you think about these points?" Result : The resistant leader feels heard instead of dismissed. The team stays engaged. Opposition turns into constructive problem-solving. The ROI of Executive Team Belonging The numbers prove leadership safety wins: School districts with high-functioning leadership teams see 23% better student outcomes Campuses with psychologically safe executive teams show 45% higher innovation rates Simple safety interventions can improve leadership team performance by 30-40% in weeks Your leadership team dynamics aren't just "nice to have"—they're driving every outcome in your organization. Transform Your Leadership Team Starting Today The Executive Safety Test: Step 1: Record your next cabinet/executive team meeting Step 2 : Count belonging cues vs. safety threats among leaders Step 3 : If threats outnumber cues, your leadership dynamics are creating the problem Three Daily Practices: Lean forward when team members raise concerns Respond to resistance with "What am I missing?" and actually listen Create micro-moments of safety in every executive decision The Leadership Team Safety Discussion Protocol: For your next executive team meeting: Have each member share when they felt most and least safe to speak the truth in recent meetings Compare responses—what patterns emerge among your senior team? 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When teams develop TQ, they learn to respond to resistance with curiosity, mine wisdom from opposition, and transform potential "bad apples" into contributors. Ready to Transform Your Team Dynamics?

Higher Performance Insights | WHEN SMART LEADERS SOUND STUPID

July 2, 2025

The 7-Part Framework to Turn Your Bumbling Into Brilliance Here's what happened last Tuesday at a board meeting that was hard to watch. A brilliant superintendent with a post-graduate degree and twenty years of experience spent 45 minutes presenting their "comprehensive student achievement initiative leveraging pedagogical frameworks aligned with district strategic priorities." The board nodded politely. A parent in the back raised her hand: "Can you explain this so my 13-year-old would understand?" The superintendent couldn't. That challenging moment was a graduate course in communication: The most brilliant leaders use language a 13-year-old understands. Smart words are simple, scalable, and sustainable. Fancy words don't edify—they confuse. And to be unclear is to be unkind. Full disclosure: I LOVE words. Early in my career as a young executive, I felt I needed to use a fancy lexicon to prove my competence to my colleagues and community. I was that guy dropping "paradigmatic frameworks" and "synergistic methodologies" in every meeting. Then a colleague lovingly pulled me aside after a presentation and said, "Joe, I think you meant the etymology of this word, not the entomology... That's the study of bugs." No lie, that happened. And I've been on a professional learning track ever since to reform my language to be less fluff and more function. The Brutal Truth: Your Intelligence Might Make You Sound Unintelligent You're brilliant. Your degrees prove it. Your experience confirms it. Your results validate it. But here's what's happening: You sound smart, but communicate unintelligibly Your scholarly vocabulary creates barriers, not bridges Your complex explanations confuse the very people you're trying to help The research is clear: When people encounter complicated messages, they ignore them, seek simplified versions, or research meanings Your brain burns 20% of your body's energy despite being only 2% of your body weight Complex messages literally exhaust people—and exhausted brains don't make decisions The crushing reality: Every fancy word you use to sound smart makes you less effective as a leader. Where Brilliance Meets Clarity The most brilliant leaders pass this test: Can a 13-year-old understand what you just said? If not, you're not communicating intelligently—you're just showing off your vocabulary. 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Higher Ed Transformation: AI-Powered Mental Health Support ❌ The "Smart" Approach (Actually Stupid): "Innovative Digital Wellness Ecosystem Leveraging Artificial Intelligence" "In response to evolving student needs and technological advancement opportunities, we are launching a comprehensive digital wellness ecosystem that leverages artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms to provide personalized mental health support interventions..." ✅ The Brilliant Approach (Human-Friendly): "Get Mental Health Help Before You're in Crisis" What students want: You want to feel better without waiting three weeks for a counseling appointment. The problem: You're struggling with anxiety or depression, but you're not "sick enough" for crisis help. You suffer alone until things get really bad. What we do: Text our AI counselor anytime, day or night (completely private) Get immediate help tailored to your specific situation Connect with human counselors when you're ready The result: Universities using this system see a 60% decrease in students in crisis and a 45% increase in students completing their degrees. The Pattern Every Brilliant Leader Must See Notice the transformation: Confusing messages focus on the institution and use big words to sound impressive Clear messages focus on the person's problem using words they actually use The brilliant leaders understand: Smart words are simple words Simple words are scalable across all audiences Scalable words create a sustainable impact Sustainable impact is the only measure of true intelligence If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough to lead it. The ROI of Speaking Clearly The numbers prove clarity wins: Organizations with simple, clear messaging see email marketing returns of $36-$40 for every dollar spent Systems that test their messaging for clarity generate ROI improvements of up to 760% Teams that communicate simply create breakthrough performance that scales Your fancy vocabulary isn't impressing anyone—it's costing you everything. Transform Your Team's Communication Intelligence The Clarity Test Step 1: Take your most important initiative Step 2: Explain it in simple, human language Step 3: If you can't, you don't understand it well enough to lead it The gap between complex and simple is the gap between failure and success. Three Questions Every Brilliant Leader Must Answer Would any parent understand what problem this solves? Can anyone follow the steps to solve it? Would people actually care about the outcome? Team Intelligence Discussion Protocol For your next leadership team meeting: The Clarity Audit: Have each team member explain your most important campus initiative in simple, everyday language Compare responses—how different are they? Which explanations would actually help someone? The Jargon Purge: List every fancy word you use to describe your work Replace each with a word a 13-year-old knows Test the new version with actual people The Kindness Check: Review your current website, emails, and presentations Ask: "Are we being kind to the people we're trying to help?" Remember: To be unclear is to be unkind The Choice Every Brilliant Leader Must Make You can sound smart or be effective. You can impress colleagues or help students. You can use fancy words or create real change. You cannot do both. "I would not give a fig for the simplicity that exists on this side of complexity; but I would give my life for the simplicity that exists on the far side of complexity." —Oliver Wendell Holmes The most brilliant leaders consistently choose clarity over complexity. They've done the hard work of mastering complexity so they can deliver simplicity. They've wrestled with the big ideas so they can explain them in small words. They've earned the right to speak like a human being instead of a textbook. Because smart words are simple words. Simple words scale. Scalable words create sustainable impact. And sustainable impact is what brilliant leadership actually looks like. Ready to Lead with True Intelligence? Stop hiding your brilliance behind big words. Start communicating with the clarity that creates change.