Managing for Best Performance
In it's simplest form, performance management is a common sense
set of discussions that make sure people are clear about what
they need to do, have the support to do it and get open and
honest feedback on their performance.
Any performance management process should answer 4 important
questions for your employees: * What do I need to do and
how well? (Direction)
* How am I doing? (Feedback)
* What happens when I do well? (Reward/Recognition)
* What happens when I need/want help? (Support/Development)
Lets look more closely at each of these:
Direction
Employees are not mind readers. Just because it is clear to the
manager exactly what is expected, doesn't mean the employee has
the same understanding. Having a detailed discussion about
exactly what the job requires and any specific priorities is the
first step in good performance management. Key points to cover
include:
* what needs to be achieved throughout the year
* what data or information (evidence) will be used to measure
performance
* the key actions needed to achieve the desired outcomes
Both parties should have a written record of this discussion
either in the form of a job description or a set of specific
objectives for the next 6 or 12 months. Written documentation
leaves little room for misunderstandings or confusion between
manager and employee about the expectations of the job.
Feedback
Observing the performance of your employees and providing
feedback about it should be a routine part of the performance
management process. Feedback is most effective in making a
difference in work performance when the employee has confidence
in the basis of that feedback. And you as the manager will be
more confident if your feedback is based on information that you
can support.
For this reason the most useful feedback should be based on
observed and/or verifiable work-related behaviors, actions,
statements, and results. If you can provide specific examples of
good and "not so good" performance, your employees will be
confident that you have taken time to notice what they are doing
and sincerely support them in improving. This kind of effective
feedback helps the employee sustain good performance, to develop
new skills and to improve performance when necessary. Feedback
should be given as it is required - it loses effectiveness if
not delivered at the time an event occurs.
Reward/Recognition
All employees need to have a clear understanding of how the
reward and recognition system operates in your business. Most
probably everyone gets paid a salary for doing their job to a
certain level. What happens when an employee performs
significantly above that level? How will they be rewarded, if at
all? If there is no incentive for employees to be outstanding,
then the likelihood is that they won't put in the extra effort.
A well designed scheme will clearly identify the rewards and
incentives available for strong or outstanding performance.
Support and Development
This aspect of managing performance focuses on current and
future skills, behaviours and knowledge. Firstly, the discussion
should focus on what training or other support the employee
needs to be the best in their current job - identifying skills
and behaviours that need to be improved. If you can support the
employee in doing their job better, they will have reassurance
that their contribution is valued by the business. The
discussion should also focus on where the employee would like to
go in the future and how you can help them achieve their longer
term career goals. If they are being considered for other roles
in the business then you will need to identify what new skills
and behaviours they need and help them to develop those.
If you are managing people, then people management activities
need to take up the majority of your time. Each business can
only be as effective as the people that work in it. One of the
best ways to ensure your employees are being effective is to
monitor and provide feedback on their performance. Setting
goals, making sure your expectations are clear, and having
regular discussions will help people perform to their best. The
payoff for the business is increased employee productivity,
knowledge, loyalty and contribution.