Performance and personality: A last word?

Summary: [You might view the earlier posts “Are we bound by type?”, “Motivated drives”, “The need to win”, “Reactivity: the monkey business!” and “The process of adaptation” before this]. Adeptness and adaptiveness produce brilliant performance. Adequate preparations are needed. Management focus shouldn’t only be on costs and the bottomline.


How does personality relate to performance? You need to know your turf to defend it. a brilliant performance depends on how adept you are at the job, and how well you adapt to the existing conditions.

Match and rematch

Still on cricket, the T20 match between Australia and India at the MCG is a case in point. The one-off game was played after the controversial Test series.

Earlier, in the inaugural World Cup tournament, a young and inexperienced Indian team knocked out Australia (champions in the other two forms of the game), and went on win the tournament. In a ‘rematch’ in India, they did it again!

The host team made it third time lucky on home soil. They blew out the visitors in every department of the game – batting, bowling and fielding. Their scintillating performance gladdened their fans, and cricket-lovers everywhere.

Jet-lagged and clueless

The Indians’ much-hyped ‘explosive’ performance didn’t ignite. Essentially, they’d failed to adapt. There was also the additional stress of ‘defending’ the T20 world title.

Some players arrived only a day or two earlier, to a different geographical space, weather and time. They appeared lethargic and clueless about the conditions. Hence, counter plans lacked fizz, as did their self-confidence against the Australian powerhouse.

Eustress and distress

Situations and contexts differ. Getting acclimatized is stress – but eustress (good stress) that sharpens the faculties and helps the individual be aware, alert, and on their toes.

But distress (bad stress) has a paralysing effect. Challenges are perceived overwhelming, mentally and physically. Under pressure the individual is found flat-footed, and unable to cope. Assumptions don't coincide with reality, and nothing attempted seems to work.

When performance, or non-performance is the end result, people who pay to view an engrossing contest feel cheated – and disrespected by what seemed carelessness and, irresponsibility.

Not only a personal problem

Fact is players need to be in the zone to give off their best. Despite the resilience of youth these players were not! Match preparation should include space and time to balance out the adverse environmental effects on the individual.

Managements also are accountable here. Indeed, their focus shouldn’t only be on costs and the bottomline! They must provide the support and resources most conducive to their people functioning at their peak. This shouldn’t be left as a personal problem but generally in any organization, it is.

Comments/Opinions, Anyone??