Misguided Measures

I'm often asked how to motivate a team and whether sharing the team's results will inspire a little healthy competition, and in turn yield greater results.  

Research says "no!"  Sharing individual results with the individual works best. 

"Most people optimistically assume that they are about average...and when they are measured against one another will inevitably rank as average or below average. For these people, seeing their rank is demoralizing, causing their performance to wilt." 

Curious?  Read on... New York Times, At Work, Misguided Measures, July 12, 2015

Hold people accountable to their specific goals and let them know you notice their struggles and their successes.