The 3 Essential Ways to Improve Work Performance

This article is an excerpt from the Shortform book guide to "Discover Your True North" by Bill George. Shortform has the world's best summaries and analyses of books you should be reading.

Like this article? Sign up for a free trial here.

Why are a support system and balanced life important for your career? What are the top three ways to improve work performance?

Bill George’s book Discover Your True North focuses on strategies to become a strong leader by improving the way you work. He offers covers on how to bolster your leadership by maintaining a strong support system outside of work as well as maintaining a balanced life.

Let’s look at the three ways to improve your work performance by keeping your personal life healthy and happy.

1. Maintain a Support System of Friends and Family

George says that no matter how talented you are as a business leader, it’s essential to have a group of people who will love you for who you are (not for your career success), accompany you through hard times, and keep you on track to pursue your core purpose. He explains that a support system is one of three ways to improve work performance. Your support system will not only provide a loving environment to turn to when things don’t go your way but also help hold you accountable when you’re not being true to your core purpose or values. For example, if you start missing family dinners and other important events to stay late at the office, you may need your loved ones to intervene and remind you that your productivity isn’t as important as your relationships. George asserts that since this kind of trusting and enduring relationship takes time to build, it’s important to consistently prioritize your family and friends.

The Importance of Investing in Relationships

Beyond supporting your career by providing solace during difficult times and holding you accountable to your core purpose and values, experts say that having a social support network fulfills a basic human need to feel social connection and a sense of belonging.

Given these important roles, why do so many leaders struggle to maintain their social support network? In How Will You Measure Your Life, Clayton M. Christensen says there are two key reasons why people tend to invest more in their career than their relationships even though both require consistent attention.

He explains that your career is more likely to provide immediate, tangible rewards (like a promotion) whereas the payoff for investing in a relationship is dispersed over the long term. Second, your friends and family may be less demanding than your boss, so it’s easier to pay them less attention. Despite these challenges, Christensen warns that you can’t put off investing in your relationships and expect to make it up later.

2. Make Time for Non-Work Activities

George also recommends that you make time for all the things you like to do—including spending time with your family and other hobbies. He says that whether it’s a physical activity or just relaxing in a peaceful place, having a healthy balance of activities that rejuvenate you will improve your mental health and therefore help you perform better at work, too.

George describes the experiences of John Donahoe (the former CEO of eBay) to illustrate how a strong personal life can be a boon to your well-being and career. Donahoe was tasked with studying for final exams for business school while his fiancée Eileen was pregnant and due to give birth soon. Realizing that he wouldn’t be able to spend adequate time with Eileen and get top-notch grades, he opted to aim for “OK” grades so that he could fulfill his familial obligations. In the end, because he was less stressed than his colleagues and didn’t try to fill every moment with studying, he worked more efficiently and got all As.

The 3 Essential Ways to Improve Work Performance