Managing People for Performance
"People improve productivity, not organisations."
Managers who have had any form of training will be familiar with
the idea of setting goals or objectives, and probably with the
principles of appraising performance. With this in mind, why is
it so many managers keep asking about how to motivate their
staff or how to get more from them?
This whole area is a key differentiator of good managers and is
a large part of what managers are being paid for! In this
article I want to offer some ideas to help you become better at
getting the performance you want from your teams. I will suggest
some of the reasons why you, and other managers, perhaps do not
do it very well and what the benefits will be when you begin to
apply the principles.
Let us begin by stating the obvious - in order to manage people
for performance you need to clearly establish what good
performance is for each person and role. Too many managers think
that this means just setting the goals. Not so, as you cannot
manage those. Defining good performance can include what the
outputs and results are - and how they are being achieved. That
is the part you can manage. Recognise that managing for
performance is an ongoing process and not an occasional
intervention or snapshot.
Why it is not done well.
People do not understand what is needed to manage performance!
Managers assume people will work towards their objectives.
Too many managers think that money is all that motivates people
to do what they need to.
Managers are too busy spending their time on the wrong
priorities to manage for performance.
Organisations think that because they have an annual appraisal
process that they are managing performance.
If you rely on an annual appraisal (or review) as a mechanism
for setting objectives and reviewing how people have performed,
what problems does this encourage? Are the objectives
meaningful? Do they stay in the forefront of peoples' minds? Do
they stay relevant throughout the year? How are they monitored
throughout the year? When you come to reviewing them, how
valuable is the conversation?
What to do.
Firstly, everyone should have clearly defined standards of
performance and/or key performance indicators (kpi's). These are
same for all those doing similar roles and provide a baseline
for performance. There are two types of these - the quantitative
and the qualitative. The former are more straightforward to do
as they will involve numbers, eg. number of calls handled per
day, time to respond to queries etc. The latter are more
challenging because they require some thought in order to
clearly define the standard in a behavioural way which removes
most of the subjectivity. This can refer to quality of work,
appearance of someone's workplace, answering the phone or
following corporate standards etc. When people are working to
these kpi's they should be in a position to deliver the
performance you want.
Although these kpi's need to be clearly outlined and understood
by all involved, the key to managing for performance is to
follow the Pareto principle and identify which 20% are the ones
which contribute to 80% of the outcomes. These are the things
you need to manage. You want to be able to monitor them, to
revisit them and raise the standard in order to get even higher
performance.
The other thing people need to have a clear goals or objectives.
These should be clearly stated, maybe following the SMART
principle. (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time
bounded.) The measure can be either numeric or behavioural,
which means clear definitions. Goals help in many ways,
especially as they link to many of the models of motivation and
the fact that a sense of achievement is a powerful buzz for most
of us.
When setting goals for people in the workplace, especially if
you want to manage performance, think about the timescales you
aim for. Giving people 3 or 5 goals at an appraisal with a long
timescale will not necessarily provide much drive or motivation.
To make them meaningful consider setting several goals with
different time deadlines, mainly short and medium term. When
they are completed set more - and the process becomes more
dynamic. It also enables you to reflect any changes in the
business and ensure the relevance of the goals.
How to do it.
Make sure you think of this as a key priority - so give it time!
Make sure that the kpi's are clearly stated, written down and
everyone has a copy.
When you set the goals with your team members and they have
agreed, get them to develop an action plan for how they will
achieve each one. Have them do it, and give you a copy within 48
hours of setting the goals. A simple way of doing this can be to
use a diagram such as a simple stairway. (We will happily send
you a sample.)
Ask them to identify the key steps to take in order to move from
"now" to the goal. Between you, agree the timescales for the key
stages and also discuss any help required and possible problems.
Once this is all agreed and finalised, you will have a copy and
the team member has theirs. Now is the first key action for you
- put those dates in your diary to make sure that you will sit
with the team member and review their progress. This is an "A"
priority activity and should not be moved!!
As your team members work through their action plans and you
have your regular reviews, you will be monitoring their progress
in a timely and effective manner. These reviews are almost
mini-appraisals and by carrying them out at the agreed times you
will make life easier for all concerned when you have the annual
appraisal, because it will be a consolidation of these meetings.
During these reviews ask for what needs to be improved, what has
gone well and what is going to happen next. Talk about the kpi's
which are relevant to their plan and make sure they are meeting
these. This monitors and manages for performance. Provide
feedback (on performance or behaviour, not personality) whether
you have to criticise or reprimand or you can praise. By having
these regular reviews, you can avoid the management fault of not
telling people how they are doing!!
When the goal is achieved, carry on and set the next goal, get
the action plans - and continue as before. Not only are you
managing performance, you are helping your team to feel more
involved, more successful and more motivated. Remember, people
just want to know what is expected of them, be given the support
to do it and then told how they are doing. What it requires from
you is to make time to have the regular meetings with your team,
after all they are the ones who provide the performance you
need. Give them your time and they will give you the
performance.