Outstanding companies are marked not only by the
quality of their employees, but also by the ability of management to
systematically maximize their potential.Without effective managers skills in performance management, employees are denied an
opportunity to participate in a proven, critical process that improves job
satisfaction and performance, while managers are denied the fundamental
analysis necessary for identifying and fixing areas of under-performance.
Effective
managers skills in performance management raises morale, provides the basis for a fair
compensation system, helps managers to promote effectively, and improves
employee morale and retention.Without
it, no company can succeed.
Before launching a new system of performance
evaluation, employees must be assured that you are working toward mutually
beneficial goals.Performance
evaluations should not be presented as punitive in nature, but rather as honest
appraisals designed to help employees improve.
Employees need to have both an understanding of and
confidence in the process.You should
have brief, individual meetings with each employee under your supervision
before launching a new system of performance evaluation and improvement.
Discuss
job responsibilities and performance expectations, create clear and
measurable work objectives, and clarify organizationalgoals and
each employee's role in meeting
them.
Allow time
for questions andemployee
input.Together create adraft of
behavioral anchors thatcorrespond
to your employee'sessential
job functions.This servesas a
contract of sorts between youand your
employee and a point ofreference to which you can returnthroughout the year.
Schedule
quarterly, formal performance updates and check in with your employee regularly
in-between.A short chat is usually
sufficient.View these chats as
opportunities to head off areas of concern before they lead to
underperformance.
Use a diagnostic approach to resolving
problems.What is causing the employee
to fail?Are expectations unreasonable
or unclear?Is it an issue of employee
temperament?Does your employee need additional
training?
Focus on successes as well as shortcomings.Be sure to praise and thank individuals for
tasks that they do well at various times during the year.Be specific with your praise, saying, for
example, "You did an excellent job arranging that sales conference. I feel like
I can always count on you to take care of details, like boosting registration."
Performance management is a two-way street.Just as your employee has a responsibility to
strive to meet or exceed performance standards, so do you have a responsibility
to provide the tools necessary for success.
Be ready and available to remove barriers that are
preventing your employee from succeeding, and don't be afraid to modify the
behavioral anchors that you drafted at the beginning of the year if they are no
longer appropriate to the situation.
Your job is to set your
employees up to win.They should view
you as a partner in their success and improvement, not someone who is
constantly looking for negatives to whack them over the head with during their
yearly performance reviews.
Schedule uninterrupted time for every yearly
performance review and give each employee your undivided attention.Be positive and supportive at all times, even
when discussing negatives.
An employee should never be surprised by your areas
of concern.Ambushing someone with
previously unknown complaints about his or her performance creates distrust.
Allow for employee input.It is natural for employees to disagree with
parts of your assessment.Give their
input a full hearing and consideration.Do not become argumentative or angry at their disagreement.
Close the meeting by providing exact instructions
on how your employees can earn better ratings in areas that you've marked for
improvement.Inform your employees that
they can visit your supervisor if there are still areas of disagreement in your
assessment. Be sure to thank your employees for their contributions before
closing.
Effective performance management removes the us
vs. them mentality and replaces it with two ingredients that virtually ensure
superior performance teamwork and support.
Help managers brush-up on key skills and learn new ones
On your Web site, train supervisors 24/7 "on the fly"
On your Web site, e-mail the "launch link" to one supervisor who needs help, or every supervisor in your organization who needs training.
Train struggling managers with performance issues and problematic supervision styles
Reduce stress and fear among managers due to inadequate training or experience, especial new supervisors
Improve employee productivity because of better trained managers
Train new managers faster--get them up to speed and meet your training goals fast
Improve your HR skills and ability to coach managers—and improve your value as an internal consultant with value-added help
Reduce risk of employment practices liability from the missteps and ignorance that managers often possess
Improve your EAP, HR department, or OD department's ability to help managers by broadening your capability to serve them better
Improve the productivity of supervisors and managers--period
Experience fewer headaches from grievances and complaints that employees bring to you because of problematic relationships with those they supervise
Encourage managers training in interpersonal skills and reduce the risk of employment claims, wrongful termination, and wrongful discipline
Improve your managerss' ability to act earlier when problems emerge, consult properly your department or the EAP, and keep top management informed of critical issues
Demonstrate that managerss were trained and that your organization exercised due diligence in matters concerning how employees are treated just in case "something goes wrong" in the future
For more information:
DFA Publishing LLC
P.O. Box 2006
Mount Pleasant, SC 29465 US Email: publisher@workexcel.com 843-884-3632 1-800-626-4327 Fax: 843-884-0442
