Uncovering the Secrets to Effective Performance Management
In many ways there are no secrets to implementing effective performance management. Performance Management is a process and a process which if implemented effectively should ensure that both employees and managers remain both productive and motivated. The actual process itself should hold no secrets. There are simply a number of steps to be considered within the Performance Management process these being as follows: 1. Agree roles and responsibilities and the objectives and targets that go with the role. Ensure that both the manager and the employee know what success looks like in relation to each objective. Sales targets are easy to quantify but project objectives may not be so easy to define success. 2. Ensure the actions needed to achieve the targets and objectives are agreed and achievable. 3. If some of the actions needed are deemed out-with the capability of the person who has to achieve them, then create a development plan in order that the person is trained accordingly. 4. Agree a review process by which each individual is coached and supported to keep on track as regards both their objectives and targets together with their development plan. 5. Mid and Year end appraisals should be simply a "tick box" exercise holding no surprises. If there are then the process building up to the appraisal is not working. The secrets to Performance Management do not just lie with the actual process but more with the skills and discipline needed to make each of the steps work effectively. And it is the way these skills are used, or not used, that can cause the whole performance management structure to collapse. At each of the stages there are challenges in any role. Let us look at each step in turn. 1. Objective and Target Setting ? The biggest challenge here is where all the targets and objectives are handed down without any consultation and support. If a manager does not take an employee through their objectives and targets then demotivation and in some cases panic can set in. Employees need to understand exactly why they are expected to deliver various objectives and also what the exact manager's expectations are. The aim of this stage of the PM process is to ensure clarity and focus. Leave people in the "fog" and they get lost! Do not simply "dump" objectives on people. 2. Once the objectives are set then employees need to be supported in being coached through exactly what they need to do in order to achieve these objectives. Very capable people will need less support than newer employees but all the same, time should be taken to coach them effectively. Again the challenges here are one of the manager putting time aside and also in relation to the ability of the manager to coach effectively. Most managers will advise and direct as opposed to coach and as such they really need to look at their skill level in coaching. Directing is quicker but can be very de-motivational and much less effective. 3. Training. Everyone pays homage to training and training plans but very few people actually deliver an effective training plan. Managers usually abdicate responsibility for the training plan leaving it to a training department or to the employees themselves. Even though training needs are identified, the only solutions to meet these needs may be the "sheep dip" approach of getting them on the menu of training events supplied by training department. But are they specifically what is actually needed? And what role does the manager take? Do they sit down with the employee and agree learning objectives? Do they monitor progress against these objectives? What about coaching the person post-training enabling them to implement their newly found skills directly into the workplace? 4. In terms of reviewing an employee's progress, does the manager spend enough time with the employee? How well are they utilising essential field visit (distant managers) and review skills such as contracting, coaching models such as GROW and OUTCOMES®; use of the skill/will matrix, behavioural analysis, giving and receiving feedback and of course, motivational models such as MASLOW'S and CARERS? ? Field visits are not just about going out with an employee for the day to check up how "they are getting on" and sitting in on a few customer calls. There is a lot more to it than that! 5. The aim of regular reviews and field visits is to ensure that the employee keeps on track with regards their objectives and targets. If the employee enters into an appraisal not knowing exactly what they have done in terms of their objectives and targets or not knowing what their manager is specifically going to say to them in the appraisal then the performance management system has not worked and has to be reviewed to see where the faults have originated. The only surprises that should be delivered are the good ones like an increase in pay that was unexpected or a better car! If employees are "in the dark" about what to expect at their appraisal, then I would hate to be in the shoes of the manager who is conducting the appraisal when it comes to their turn! Performance Management is a simple uncomplicated process but one which needs discipline and a great degree of skill to implement effectively. Get it right then you are on the way to success; get it wrong and you can look forward to a really stressful year end appraisal. About the submitter: Allan Mackintosh is a Performance Management Coach who specialises in developing performance management skills in managers and sales managers. He is the author of "The Successful Coaching Manager" book, has written numerous articles, and is the creator of the OUTCOMES© and CARERS? coaching models. He can be contacted on 00 44 1292 318152 or via his website at http://www.pmcscotland.com. Allan also represents Reivers Development, a specialist organisational transformation company. http://www.reiversgroup.com
Related News
|
 |
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
You Cant Not Communicate
Most of us would like to be better communicators. As leaders, co-workers, team members and in all of the other roles we play both professionally and personally, we know that communication is a major key to success.
Executives and Emotional Self Awareness
A major problem impairing an executive's performance is his Emotional Blind Spots. Emotions, whether we like them or not, have a significant impact on one's decisions. An example is the Enron case where executives ran into severe ethical and legal consequences after falling prey to the destructive negative emotions of greed and self-interest. It is perplexing how many success driven executives, choose to fear addressing the impact of negative emotions on personal and organizational performance.
Employee Turnover: Is It Eating Up Your Profits?
Keeping the cost of doing business down, yet providing a quality product or service, is one of the most critical components of success for today's leader. What many fail to realize is that employee turnover can represent a very substantial price tag to a company's productivity and its bottom line.
Change Management: Avoid Havoc In Very Uncertain Times
Escalating gas prices...tensions and turmoil in the Middle East...a struggling world economy. Leadership, in times of uncertainty, is not that much different from that of 'normal' times. What does differ is the degree to which basic tactics of change management are applied. In times of uncertainty, leaders must pay even more attention to the people issues in change. Here are five ways to avoid leadership havoc.
Out of Control?
There are papers on the floor, across the desk and resting on the keyboard. Piles of files are all around. Magazines, newspapers?you name it. Just about anything can be found in this office. You've seen it in your own organization. You know what I am talking about.
Don?t Get Down ? Manage Up!
"Experience is not what happens to a man; it is what a man does with what happens to him."
- Aldous Huxley
The Dark Side of Help Desk SLAs
You just signed a Help Desk Service Level Agreement (SLA) and now think things will get easier. However, you may soon be falling into one of these traps:
The Dog That Didnt Bark
A few weeks ago, after consultations with others in an association I represent, I made a partnership pitch to another organization with similar interests. If the idea comes to fruition, it will radically change our organization.
Performance Management Made Easy
Performance Management is a process that both employer and employee often fear!
Smart Choices: How to Hire the Best
Your organization's continued growth and success depend on making smart choices and hiring the best. Today's economy is exploding with talent, allowing you to be selective about the staff you hire. Yet, the crucial step to filling a position is finding the right talent for your organization - someone that has the skills for the job, easily blends with the culture, interacts well with the team and believes in your mission.
Lets Make Training More Interesting!
Many HR managers believe that by sending their workers to participate in external training programs, they have fulfilled their responsibilities. This is not the best situation. In this article, I will be emphasizing on how to increase the interest-level of your employees who attend the training program taking into consideration that there is increasing cultural diversity and computer literacy in the workplace.
Managing Yo-Yo Style
Does being managed by others smack more of "Survivor" than Stephen Covey for you? Could there BE any more management styles out there-have you gotten to experience all of them yet? And what kind of manager are you-or should you try to be?
Dialogue: the Four Dialogic Principles For Successful Communication
"But you don't understand!" exclaimed the manager, "this new initiative is vital for our team. If it doesn't work we could all be out of a job!"
Enhancing the Motivational Climate of Your Workplace
It has been well documented that employees' productivity and job quality increase when we are made to feel welcome at work. In other words, when the motivational climate is enhanced to meet their needs they produce quality work at the 100% rate.
Building Bridges of Communication
If you are a consultant to a client, or a salesperson attempting a closer relationship with your customer, here are five techniques that help achieve just that.
Executive ESP: A Pathway to Success!
We all have psychic abilities that we use daily, although most of us don't even realize that. The full study of this issue would take many books, and years of experience to grasp all the factors. Since we can't do that here, we can still focus on applying these skills to making informed business decisions. Those of us making constant business choices, effecting staff, ethics , health, and the botton line ,need all the data we can get our hands on. So these tidbits are designed to help you use your natural abitities, and to improve your business situation!
Communicating CEOs
I see a PR firm has done a survey on the amount of time Canadian CEOs spend on communication, and found they spend almost half of their time on communication.
Managing Group Meetings
MANAGING SMALL MEETINGS: Keep the size of the meeting as small as possible. The larger the group, the more complicated communication becomes and the more garbled the purpose may get. For example, with a group of two, there are two communication channels, add a third person and six channels have been created. With each additional person, the number of communication channels increases exponentially. When selecting participants for the meeting, consider the following criteria: -- expertise in the topics -- contribution to the discussion -- pre-existing personal conflicts -need for new information.
Nine Vital Lessons For Avoiding Training Fads That Waste Time, Money and Enthusiasm
Unfortunately, at least two thirds of much of the training and development effort undertaken by organisations to develop their people is wasted.
Develop Your People and Make More Money
What is the no. 1 asset in your business beside yourself? It's your people.Then why is it they often fall to the bottom of the list when it comes to doing anything to help them improve their performance and look after them?
|