Let’s Talk About Work Performance
There’s a lot of talk these days about coaching, mentoring, and mental health in the workplace. And for good reason, these concepts are here to help us feel better and do better. But what’s often missing from the conversation, in my opinion, is the topic of work performance, and how you actually improve it in today’s fast-changing world.
What Is Work Performance?
Work performance isn’t just about doing your job. It’s about how you do it and what results you create. Researchers define it through several concepts:
Task performance: How well you carry out the core duties of your role.
Contextual performance: How you contribute to the overall workplace environment: collaborating, helping others, suggesting improvements.
Adaptive performance: Your ability to adjust to changes, new tools, and unexpected challenges.
Counterproductive behaviors: Habits that quietly or not-so-quietly undermine your impact. Things like chronic lateness, gossiping, or disengaging from your role.
Understanding these areas gives us a map. Not just of what to fix, but of what to build on.
Performance in any form has 2 sides to it
Professional skills - the abilities required to perform in your chosen field and context.
Technical and psychomotor skills (+ these days, social and interpersonal skills, digital skills)
Cognitive skills (learning, decision making, focus)
Psychological skills - the internal capacities that allow you to effectively use your professional skills.
Motivational skills (goal setting, purpose)
Self-regulation and resilience skills (Self-monitoring, reflection, changing habits, dealing with adversity)
So What Can You Do?
Let’s get practical. Here are some research-backed strategies you can use to level up:
Train your focus: Distraction is the enemy of excellence. Try time-blocking, turn off unnecessary notifications, and create a digital environment that supports deep work.
Adopt a growth mindset: The people who thrive are not the ones who know everything: They’re the ones who keep learning. Mistakes are feedback. Progress beats perfection.
Master your tools: Whether it’s ChatGPT, Trello, or Excel, knowing how to use your tools well saves you time and expands your impact. Choose your tools and use them. Become an expert in them.
Build emotional intelligence: Learn how to navigate tension, understand your reactions, and communicate with empathy. Especially in hybrid or virtual settings where people can’t feel your physical presence.
Use what’s out there. Mentoring, coaching, free courses, books, podcasts. There’s no shortage of support (hopefully you can find some of this here). The difference comes when you actually use what’s available.
I'd love to hear from you!
Take a quick questionnaire that helps me understand how people experience work performance — what's working, what's not, and what kind of support you may need.
Time to complete: ~1 minute.
Why It Matters
You’re not just an employee. You’re a professional in a global talent market. And your skills, mindset, and behavior are what you bring to that market.
Investing in your work performance means:
Staying relevant (and ahead) in your field
Avoiding burnout through smarter work habits
Building a career you’re proud of, not just a job you tolerate
“Sometimes in life you are responsible for changing something not because you have done something wrong but because you are the only person who can.”
- Dr Lisa Feldman Barrett
References to other research used in this post
Koopmans, L., Bernaards, C. M., Hildebrandt, V. H., de Vet, H. C. W., & van der Beek, A. J. (2014). Construct validity of the Individual Work Performance Questionnaire. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 56(3), 331–337. https://doi.org/10.1097/JOM.0000000000000113
Koopmans, L., Bernaards, C. M., Hildebrandt, V. H., van Buuren, S., van der Beek, A. J., & de Vet, H. C. W. (2013). Development of an individual work performance questionnaire. International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, 62(1), 6–28. https://doi.org/10.1108/17410401311285273
Jundt, D. K., Shoss, M. K., & Huang, J. L. (2014). Individual adaptive performance in organizations: A review. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 36(S1), S53–S71. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.1955
Jones, R. J., Woods, S. A., & Guillaume, Y. R. F. (2016). The effectiveness of workplace coaching: A meta-analysis of learning and performance outcomes from coaching. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 89(2), 249–277. https://doi.org/10.1111/joop.12119
Ramos-Villagrasa, P. J., Barrada, J. R., Fernández-del-Río, E., & Koopmans, L. (2019). Assessing job performance using brief self-report scales: The case of the Individual Work Performance Questionnaire. Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 35(3), 195–205. https://doi.org/10.5093/jwop2019a21
Campbell, J. P., McCloy, R. A., Oppler, S. H., & Sager, C. E. (1993). A theory of performance. In N. Schmitt & W. C. Borman (Eds.), Personnel selection in organizations (pp. 35–70). Jossey-Bass.
Rotundo, M., & Sackett, P. R. (2002). The relative importance of task, citizenship, and counterproductive performance to global ratings of job performance: A policy-capturing approach. Journal of Applied Psychology, 87(1), 66–80. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.87.1.66
Sonnentag, S., Volmer, J., & Spychala, A. (2008). Job performance. In J. Barling & C. L. Cooper (Eds.), The SAGE handbook of organizational behavior: Volume I – Micro approaches (pp. 427–447). SAGE.
Viswesvaran, C., & Ones, D. S. (2000). Perspectives on models of job performance. International Journal of Selection and Assessment, 8(4), 216–226. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-2389.00151
Salgado, J. F., & Cabal, S. E. (2011). The five-factor model, forced-choice personality inventories, and job performance: A comprehensive meta-analysis of academic and occupational validity studies. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 20(1), 1–27. https://doi.org/10.1080/13594320902993324
Borman, W. C., & Motowidlo, S. J. (1993). Expanding the criterion domain to include elements of contextual performance. In N. Schmitt & W. C. Borman (Eds.), Personnel selection in organizations (pp. 71–98). Jossey-Bass.
Hülsheger, U. R., Alberts, H. J. E. M., Feinholdt, A., & Lang, J. W. B. (2013). Benefits of mindfulness at work: The role of mindfulness in emotion regulation, emotional exhaustion, and job satisfaction. Journal of Applied Psychology, 98(2), 310–325. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0031313
Ilgen, D. R., & Pulakos, E. D. (Eds.). (1999). The changing nature of performance: Implications for staffing, motivation, and development. Jossey-Bass.
Hänsel, F., Baumgärtner, S.D., Kornmann, J., & Ennigkeit,F. (2016). Sportpsychologie ( lk. 264). Springer
