Closing the Intelligence Gap - Gary Cokins on Performance Management

Van Gogh was torn between being a traditional artist of the time and an innovator. After he began painting with oils he moved from the hectic urban life of Paris to the peaceful French villages of Arles and Saint-Remy. It was then that he blazed a new trail of art painting with his distinguished brush strokes.

So why my blog title and earlier reference to Van Gogh and performance management? Van Gogh cut off his ear in reaction to a rejection from something that he felt passionate about – in this case a lover. If Van Gogh lived today as a business analyst champion promoting performance management initiatives (like many of you), would he cut off his ear if senior management rebuffed his proposals to implement performance management solutions? We will never know.

However, in my work with SAS I meet many performance management champions who are also innovators like Van Gogh. They are so passionate to help improve their organization’s success, I assure you that they are continuously scheming to get buy-in of co-workers and win the hearts and minds of their executive team to convince them that adopting performance management solutions is critical to sustaining their organization's long-term superior performance. None of them would cut off their ear. They just keep trying knowing that perseverance will eventually lead to success.