Set Up Your Diagnostic

Before we go any further, I want to get you set up in the Performance Leak Estimator.

This is the tool you’ll use throughout today’s Masterclass. We’re not going to complete the whole thing all at once. We’ll use it in sections as we move through the workshop.

The link is on the slide, and I’m also going to drop it into the chat so you don’t have to type it in manually.

When you open the estimator, it will ask for your access code. That code was included in your confirmation email for this Masterclass. If you don’t see it right away, check the email you received when you registered. You can also search your inbox for “JL3” or “Masterclass.”

Once you’re in, pause there. Don’t start answering questions yet.

The first thing I want you to do is choose one performance issue to examine today.

It could be a missed target, slow execution, turnover, quality concerns, customer complaints, low engagement, or another performance concern that matters in your work.

Try to choose something real enough that you can think about it clearly, but not so personal or sensitive that you’ll feel uncomfortable working with it during the session.

The goal is not to find a perfect answer. This isn’t a test, and there’s no score you’re trying to defend. The value comes from being honest about what may be affecting the issue you selected.

So for now, open the estimator, enter your access code, and get to the starting point. If you have any trouble finding your code, let me know and I can help.

Now I want you to choose the performance issue you’ll use throughout today’s workshop. This is important, because the clearer you are about the issue, the more useful the rest of the tool will be. Try to frame the issue as an outcome you can observe, not as a conclusion about why it’s happening.

For example, instead of writing, “People don’t care,” write what you’re actually seeing: “Deadlines are being missed,” “Response times are slowing down,” “Rework has increased,” or “New employees are taking longer than expected to become independent.”

Instead of writing, “The team has a bad attitude,” write the outcome: “Participation has dropped,” “People are not speaking up in meetings,” “Follow-through is inconsistent,” or “Customer complaints have increased.”

Be as descriptive as you can in the space provided. You don’t need to write a full case study, but give yourself enough detail that you’ll know exactly what issue you’re analyzing as we move through the workshop.

A helpful way to frame it is:

• What is happening?
• Where is it showing up?
• Who or what is affected?
• How do you know it’s a problem?
• What is it costing in time, quality, service, morale, money, or momentum?

If you’re deciding between a few issues, choose one that is specific enough to examine today. “Communication is poor” is probably too broad. “Handoffs between sales and operations are causing delays and rework” is much better.

The goal right now is clarity. We’re not diagnosing the cause yet. We’re just naming the outcome clearly enough that we can examine what may be shaping it.

Now that we’ve set the tool up for our masterclass, let’s walk through the lens in which we will evaluate your issue.

These are the six Performance Levers. Think of them as workplace conditions that can either support performance or quietly make performance harder.

Shared Capacity is about whether the work, priorities, time, and resources actually line up.

Skill Readiness is about whether people have the ability and preparation to do what the work now requires.

Peer Norms are the informal expectations that shape what people actually do when no one is watching closely.

System Cues are the signals people get from metrics, incentives, processes, and leadership behavior.

Tool Support is about whether the systems, technology, templates, and job aids make the work easier or harder.

Mindset Alignment is about whether people understand what matters most when priorities compete.

We’re going to take these one at a time. For each lever, I’ll give you the concept, show you what it can look like in real work, and then you’ll apply it to the performance issue you chose for today.

Now we’re going to shift from the map into the work.

As we move through each lever, keep coming back to the performance issue you chose for today. Don’t think about the lever in general. Think about whether that condition is showing up in your situation.

The goal isn’t to find a perfect answer. The goal is to see the issue more clearly than you did when you walked in.

That’s what the Performance Leak Estimator is going to help you do.