Performance Management is the act of managing personal or organizational performance. What can complicate this process are all the factors that can arise where a textbook process meets the situations and people that exist in your world. As an effective director, manager, or supervisor it is your job to ensure the success of the organization by achieving of all key performance indicators.
These targets or goals are accomplished through the implementation and execution of a solid Performance Management Process (PMP). The objective is not to discuss the building or maintenance of the process, but focus rather on the end result.
What do you do when your employees have not met the standards or expectations and their performance needs to be addressed? It is your job to protect the business while trying to be sensitive and support your employee's, and maintain a positive work environment. Sometimes both can be accomplished, sometimes they cannot.
So with the success of the business as the prize, how do you protect the prize, and decipher all the incoming data. You have to consider some general factors:
The business factor?
? These factors can include but certainly are not limited to: policy violation, policy interpretation, human resource approval, unemployment law, litigation, intent, staffing, tenure, and training.
The employee factor?
? On the employee side you must consider, anticipate, and listen to the barrage of employee "personal" issues that will be used to justify their substandard performance including divorce, child-care, abusive home life, rehabilitation, court dates, illness, poor training, no training and etcetera.
I'm going to provide you a process that allows you to increase your decision-making accuracy and velocity with 3 words. They are the three most spectacular words given to the modern manager:
Effort, Ability, or Environment
100% of all performance issues fit effortlessly into one of these three categories.
Effort
Effort Issues are defined as performance issues that arise when an employee knows how to perform and makes a decision not to.
How to identify?
Effort issues are usually inconsistent performers. The reps or associate is at goal or below goal based on how they feel or some other factor that is within their control. If you can hit goal once, there is no reason why you shouldn't be able to do it again.
How to handle?
There are many options when dealing with this segment of the population. You can provide, coaching, counseling, initiate documentation, corrective action, and even separate them from the organization.
Don't waste time on effort issues- Progressively coach and counsel these associates. Your time is too valuable to spend with someone who knows how and chooses not to when you have other reps that want to and don't know how.
Ability
Ability Issues are defined as performance issues that arise when an employee wants to perform, but doesn't have the skills or training needed to accomplish the task at hand.
How to identify?
Ability issues can be found in newer reps or neglected tenured reps that have never hit goal.
How to handle?
These reps need to be trained. Ongoing coaching and development will prevent these employees from falling short of goals and developing effort issues.
Environment
Environment Issues are defined as performance issues that arise or rather result from an environmental factor that is beyond the control of the associate.
How to identify?
There are different ways to diagnose these issues. You could have a performer that begins to fall short on active listening after she was moved to a more rowdy team.
How to handle?
If possible, try to alter the environment to ensure the reps success. If you can correct the environmental issues by relocating the employee do so.
This three-part identification process allows you to collapse all the circumstances, factors, and tenure into a very precise method. It allows you to train those that need to be trained, address environmental factors if needed, and not waste you time on effort issues.
Note: People are judged on what they actually do and not on their potential.
Once you have identified that your issue is effort, ability or environment you may take the appropriate steps to improve your employees performance, increase your business success and maintain your key performance indicators.
Aubie Pouncey is a contributing writer for http://www.righttolead.com. He has been in management for the past several years and has worked cloesly with leading performance management consultants. If you are interested in learning more about the performance management process then visit: http://accountabilityprocess.righttolead.com/ a>
My experience working with thousands of leaders world wide for... Read More
1. No vision. Successful businesses have a clear vision or... Read More
Sometimes.In fact making some small changes to the circumstances when... Read More
Micro-Management and Delegation ... Read More
It's clear to me that a workplace is a better... Read More
"We are so different and individualistic that we can't work... Read More
Statistics consistently reinforce that the biggest challenge in today's contact... Read More
Who tells the boss that they can improve their management... Read More
Human beings and the way they interact are extraordinarily Complex.... Read More
The other day one of our overseas clients called in... Read More
A Nightmare That Really HappenedOver 10 years ago, when I... Read More
People talk to me about making personal and professional changes... Read More
Life has always been full of uncertainties. Over the last... Read More
We have all attended meetings that were boring, mindless and... Read More
The practice of outsourcing business processes has long been subject... Read More
Traditionally, in American businesses, the same person occupies the role... Read More
You probably know this already, but there are generally held... Read More
Don't Let Your Measurements Mislead You ... Read More
Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More
We had a problem with handling materials in a production... Read More
As a small business owner, entrepreneur or independent professional, it's... Read More
Being a leader isn't easy. Every one looks to you... Read More
Getting into the detail of everything each of your people... Read More
Escalating gas prices...tensions and turmoil in the Middle East...a struggling... Read More
Several decades ago, a passenger jet approached a Florida airport... Read More
It is a sad fact that many employees are still... Read More
Here are some quick thoughts on ways to turn things... Read More
It is becoming more common for employers to require employees... Read More
Each year, businesses write-off six percent of revenue to waste,... Read More
Where does the time go? Billable time. As a consultant,... Read More
Organizations live and die by results. Yet most organizations get... Read More
We all complain about meetings which are a waste of... Read More
Use your time for problems that are truly important.Hard as... Read More
When you are acclaimed for excellence during times of crisis... Read More
Judgment is the process of forming an opinion of something... Read More
Learning to be assertive takes time, courage and the ability... Read More
You need to know all that is going on around... Read More
Intangible Corporate Assets such as Organizational Capital, Blue Sky and... Read More
TEAM DECISION MAKING: Managers who invite participation believe that people... Read More
Hearing impaired people often encounter difficulty at work because their... Read More
Accounting is one area which every company has to maintain... Read More
For example, in a small, two-person company, there is often... Read More
Living in the 21st Century is truly marvelous, isn't it?... Read More
Even in today's still uncertain economic times, there are companies... Read More
Bad meetings are a cultural malady that senior executives pass... Read More
Consequences of Not Giving Effective FeedbackLet's take a look at... Read More
In today's competitive world shorter product life cycles, customers rapid... Read More
Here are seven dangers of outsourcing your software development. They... Read More
Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More
One of the most difficult tasks you will face as... Read More
Did you know that maintenance accounts for 50% to 80%... Read More
Where there is people there is politics! Bullying is now... Read More
There is a growing movement in the spiritual... Read More
The concept of knowledge management or knowledge sharing makes intellectual... Read More
When I was first initiated into Corporate America, I had... Read More
One of the most difficult and emotionally draining situations you... Read More
Use this check list to assess your communication skills.Focus* Do... Read More
Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More
If you are a department, division or subsidiary manager, your... Read More
Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More
It's very easy for a business owner or manager to... Read More
Most people think real change in an organization occurs as... Read More
Most business owners I work with want to grow their... Read More
BUILDING TRUST AS A MANAGER: 1. Be reliable. Follow through... Read More
If you are like most business people, voice mail has... Read More
Use your time for problems that are truly important.Hard as... Read More
Business Management |