Performance Management: A Two-Way Win
The absolute key to excellent Performance Management is that it’s an every-day part of management, not a once-in-a-while discussion of what isn’t working.
Getting to That Elusive Performance Management Win
A robust, ongoing performance management process can significantly improve staff morale, productivity, motivation, and the overall health of an organisation.
Too often, Performance Management is seen as a vehicle for pointing out problems or for addressing negative issues.
It’s also often seen as a way of managing people out of an organisation if they are perceived as not pulling their weight.
Encourage and Acknowledge
Far more useful is to use Performance Management to encourage and acknowledge, to pre-empt difficulties, and to develop skills within a team.
The absolute key to excellent Performance Management is that it’s an everyday part of management, not a once-in-a-while discussion of what isn’t working.
Getting to performance management two-way win requires you to get up and talk to your team.
Set Tasks and Goals
Too often, we see managers who set tasks and goals and let their people get on with it.
At first glance, that seems a good thing to do – a giant step away from micro-managing.
However, there’s a big difference between letting someone get on with it and checking in to see how they’re doing (checking in, by the way, not checking up!).
Notice What They Do Well
Alongside this, you need to develop your noticing skills: paying attention to what people are doing particularly well.
It could be an excellent phone call they made handling a difficult customer, a well-written email, or the way they supported a colleague.
These ‘little’ things need to be acknowledged so that team members feel recognised and valued.
Climate of Trust
All of this contributes to creating a climate of trust so that when difficulties do arise (and they will, inevitably) feedback isn’t meant or taken as an attack or even a criticism, but rather as a time to review what’s going on and how to make it better.
One simple thing you can do is to schedule reviews on a regular, ongoing basis.
Let them become part of the fabric and rhythm of your week. They don’t have to be lengthy – a short touching base with how people are managing.
Feedback for You
It’s also a time for your people to feedback to you as well.
Managing can often feel quite isolating and it’s just as rewarding to hear good things about your performance as it is to give it.
So let your people know you wouldn’t be averse to hearing what they’ve noticed that you’ve done well.
That well-worn cliché that most people leave their jobs because of ‘bad’ managers is often very true.
The point here is that if you make Performance Management a two-way process, it becomes a two-way win.
If you have established a culture of support and encouragement, people will repay you with loyalty, creativity, and a willingness to go above and beyond.
Jo Ellen Grzyb
Director, Impact Factory
Performance Management Two-Way Win
Impact Factory runs
Open Performance Management Courses
Tailored Performance Management Training
and personalised
One-to-One Performance Management Skills Training
for anyone interested in
Performance Management
