Are you paying lip service to performance conversations?

Typically, I find that organisations pay lip service to performance where the expectation is that managers and their teams have a twice year performance discussion. 

This is usually a formal review and uses a system to monitor and upload information about a staff member’s performance.

The problems that arise from this often include:

1. What you as a manager think about your staff’s performance and their perception of their performance are misaligned – and the first time that this is realised and spoken about is in a performance review.  Often it’s too late for your team member to do anything about this and so they end up resentful and angry which affects your relationship and their productivity
2. Managers do not have enough balance between what’s been done well and development opportunities – they have focused on what needs to be improved
3. Feedback is one-way (from manager to staff member) and allows little opportunity for conversation to fully explore and understand the real cause of performance issues.
4. A lack of clarity or agreement on how to rate your staff
5. A lack of clarity about what to measure your staff against (job descriptions can be very vague)
6. Comparisons of staff against each other rather than against an agreed standard

Performance through People is aimed at upskilling managers with the mindset, skill-set and tool-set to engage and get the best out of their direct reports, as well as learning to work together as a management/leadership team. 

In working together through these topics, we can help them to create a consistent “language” and approach in working with the team as a whole.

And, the reason we pay such attention to the language you use when speaking to your staff is because this has a huge impact on how they respond to you.

We also learn the real differences between Performance, Performance Management and Performance Improvement so that we can dispel the negativity that arises from poorly managed performance processes.

If you follow and apply the learning we share, you will be able to have a positive coaching conversation by the end of programme, which WILL lead to improved workplace performance and help you on your road to a high performing team!

Programme Objectives:

By the end of this programme, you will be able to:

1. Identify a high performing team.  In doing this, we will look at ways to develop and stretch your team.
2. Correctly define and use the Performance Continuum as a way to effectively manage both the operational day-to-day activities of your team, as well as effectively manage under-performance and behavioural challenges before they become an issue.
3. Assess your teams’ competence and confidence needs so that you can appropriately adapt your style to help them reach their potential and your business goals.
4. Leverage motivation principles to get more from your team
5. Learn to effectively delegate using a framework and a simple checklist
6. Apply the 3 components of the Performance Equation for consistent high performance
7. Set clear goals for both tasks and behaviour
8. Give and receive feedback that drives performance using a simple feedback model
9. Use the GROW coaching model as a basis for performance dialogue and lasting behavioural change.
10. Work together and develop a plan for each of your team members, according to their specific needs, expectations and goals so that these can be achieved
11. Empower your team to find solutions to challenges they face: both individually and collectively so that you get the important things done
12. Have difficult discussions with people about under performance
13. Plan performance and development meetings
14. Identify performance gaps
15. Rate individual performance accurately and fairly

I have always believed in and tried to live my life from a perspective of “The Power of Positive”.  We now know from science that we are 31% more productive in positive than in neutral, negative or stressed.

So, it’ll come as no surprise that my Signature Programmes tie this theme together, whether addressing management or team challenges.

Each of my Signature Programmes in the Power of Positive Series complement each other to form an entire programme. This cohesive framework has been designed to flow from one development topic to the next.