Jack and Jill's Gym Adventure: Unlocking the Performance C.O.D.E.

Written by Keith Risinger

Published on 04-14-2025

Jack and Jill went to the gym to fetch a body of muscles. Jill got jacked, but Jack did not. Why? They had the same goal, but their results were quite different.

My experience coaching individuals and teams in a work environment has revealed four factors that have a major influence on performance. These factors can explain performance variation in a way that both leaders and individuals can diagnose.

The Performance C.O.D.E. is a simplified framework of four factors that, when embraced, powers performance and coaching to new levels. It is performance made simple, but not easy…you still have to do the work.

Clarity: Move upstream from just about any performance gap, and you are likely to find a lack of clarity involved. It could include a lack of clarity about what is needed to perform, what is expected, what progress will look like, an individual's decision rights, etc. Likewise, unpack any performance success, and you will find clarity was key. The leader’s role is to provide clarity, especially in times of uncertainty. The individual’s role is to seek clarity of the same things, not wait for it to be provided.

Ownership: Ownership involves four main components:

• Responsibility: The commitment to an effort.
• Capability: The ability to execute an effort effectively.
• Initiative: Self-directed action to achieve the effort.
• Accountability: The obligation to answer for the outcome of an effort.

The leader’s role is to establish an environment that expects ownership in all four components. The individual’s role in ownership is to seek it and take it. Don’t get trapped in the “build a culture of accountability” thinking — ownership requires more than just answering for an outcome.

Discipline: Discipline is all about consistency in doing what is required to perform. Often this relies on establishing good systems and processes, and of course, building the habits that take you in the direction you need to go. Think of James Clear’s quote: “You don’t rise to the level of your goals; you fall to the level of your systems.” It has also been said that discipline beats motivation. I actually haven’t found them competing. I do find that discipline fuels motivation — it’s a cycle where each one feeds the other. Discipline → Progress → Motivation…

Effort: Effort is about stamina, energy, and attitude toward the objective. It is about demonstrating resolve, sometimes through better approaches, but sometimes through just pure determination. Effort is also characterized by the strength to overcome resistance. The stronger you get, the more resistance you can handle. The more resistance you can handle, the stronger you get. The other dynamic with effort is that it loops you back around to clarity. Is my effort creating the impact I am seeking and signaling I am doing the right thing to achieve the goal?

So why did Jill get jacked and Jack did not? Jill set a clear goal, just like Jack. But Jill had clarity about what was necessary to achieve the goal. She knew what exercises to do and what food to eat when. Then she took the ownership necessary to work toward the goal. She overcame her busy schedule and lack of knowledge; she didn’t blame them. She had the discipline to be consistently in the gym, at the same time almost every day, and her effort was shown in her mindset and determination to keep lifting heavier and heavier weights. Jack set the goal but lacked a solid plan. He let busywork get in his way more often than not, his habits favored less-productive actions, and he just kept doing the same workout with the same resistance.

Whether the goal is to launch a new marketing campaign, improve brand loyalty, or get jacked at the gym, The C.O.D.E. can be your tool to take your performance to the next level or diagnose what is holding you back.