Barbara Brown, PhD asked:
Even if you have all the right electronic tools to manage employee performance, effective performance management still comes down to “what you do and what you say†as a manager. Employees are motivated by how you interact with them on an ongoing basis; not by quarterly, semi-annual, or annual conversations. Â
If you want to motivate employees to improve poor performance or continue outstanding performance, you need to communicate in a way that lets employees know “what you expect and how to give you what you expect.†Start with these 13 questions:
1. Do I provide clear performance expectations, telling employees what I need them to do or how I need them to do it?
2. Do I explain to employees how their performance impacts the achievement of their personal and professional goals?
3. Do I explain to employees how their performance impacts the achievement of team, workgroup, or office goals?
4. Do I explain to employees how their performance impacts goals of other offices within the organization or goals of the entire organization?
5. Do I explain to employees how their performance impacts the organization’s mission, vision, and values?
6. When I discuss unsatisfactory performance, do I explain to employees who and what is impacted by their unsatisfactory performance?
7. When I discuss satisfactory performance, do I explain who and what is impacted by their satisfactory performance?
8. When I talk to employees about work, do I find a way to reinforce the importance of certain behaviors and actions?
9. When I talk to employees about work, do I find a way to express appreciation for positive behaviors and actions?
10. When I discuss new workload assignments, do I explain how specific behaviors and actions will contribute (or have contributed in the past) to the success of each assignment?
11. When I discuss workload progress reports, do I explain how specific behaviors and actions impacted our progress?
12. When I discuss completed assignments, do I explain how specific behaviors and actions impacted what we accomplished?
13. Do I schedule regular periods to celebrate our achievements (i.e. achieve small goals, achieve major goals, mid-way completion of projects, final completion of projects)
Effective Performance Management Is About “Regular†Conversations
You need employees to give you their best performance on a regular basis; not quarterly, semi-annually, or annually. Similarly, employees need reinforcement from you on a regular basis. They need to know what you expect, whether they are giving you what you expect, and what to do if they are not giving you what you expect. Employees also need to know “why†their performance matters and “who†their performance impacts. This checklist offers you a tool to give employees this type of feedback. Use it to maximize your employees’ performance.