The Performance of the Hive

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Submitted by Lorne Mitchell on 4 weeks 3 days ago

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Having spent a lifetime swimming in large corporate swimming pools, four years ago I climbed out of the IBM pool to become a part-timebeekeeper, part-time entrepreneur.

Four years prior to this move, I had taken up the hobby of beekeeping and I was excited that I could spend more time with them and learn more about them.! It is now clear to me that in these past few years the bees have taught me more about business (and performance managemt) than the previous 30 years in corporate life! Andd this year has been the one that I have probably learned the most because of the extraordinary happenings we have had!

Through thisprocess, the bees have really helped me ask some fundamental questions about the many myths of modern (performance) management.....and the role of the person or people who consider that it their role of managing, monitoring or measuring performance....

First Steps (extra credit) :

I am an amateur beekeeper and live in the UK.

One major measure for the success of the performance of a beekeeper is the amount of honey that we produce from our hives each year.

This year has been the worst season for honey production on record.

This poor performance has nothing to do with how much beekeeping training each beekeeper has had.

This poor performance has nothing to do with the amount of knowledge that each worker bee has had.

This poor performance has nothing to do with how capable each Queen Bee was at at the start of the season at producing eggs: March was a fantastic month and each hive flourished during the warm sunny weather then.

Some hives have done better than other, but the overall strength of my colonies means I will be taking no honey from them this year. The first year that has happened since I started keeping bees 6 years ago.

I am amazed at the many myths that surround the current thinking in Corporate Performance Management. We only need to look at the bees to learn that, as a beekeeper, you can't manage performance. You can only be the custodian of the service of others and make sure each colony is in the best shape to survive and prosper from one inspection to the next!

Lorne Mitchell

4 weeks 2 days ago

Thank you for your kind words, Bjarte.

If you spend too long measuring the performance of the hive and inspecting the frames thy live on in minute detail (rather than focusing on the one or two interventions that will really make a difference for them), the bees will often become more aggressive! It is strange. They somehow pick-up on your intentions!

Bjarte Bogsnes

4 weeks 3 days ago

Lorne,

Congratulations with a brave and great career move, and a big thank you for this post which really resonates with me! I could not agree more. Performance can't be managed. It is all about creating conditions for great performance to take place, where the custodian mindset you highlight is key.

My best wishes for the next season!

Thanks,
Bjarte

Getting Performance Without Performance Management

Lorne Mitchell

Bjarte Bogsnes

Lorne Mitchell

Bjarte Bogsnes