Performance Technique for Every Leader
Performance Management Techniques for Every Leader
Designing a performance improvement plan
When targets are fair and achievable, all resources are available and staff are fully trained, under-performance is most likely due to disengagement, and disengagement results directly from a lack of accountability. Performance can’t be improved if it wasn’t measured in the first place, so make sure you have targets and measurements in place, even when performance is good. Consider the following to develop a performance improvement plan:
Behaviour is difficult to change if there are no consequences. Don’t let bonuses and other perks become the norm, but ensure you have a rewards system in place which can be varied.
P
erformance management is a simple activity that many organisations over complicate. Fundamentally, organisational goals are translated into individual goals and a line manager
oversees the achievement of those, providing training and feedback as necessary. Many managers only begin to measure performance when it has already fallen, and without benchmarks for high performance, it’s difficult to know where to begin tackling the problem. Therefore, the most important factor in effective performance management is to measure results consistently when performance is good, not only when it needs to improve.
Identify the specific root cause of the performance shortfall.
Understand the timescales involved. You’re unlikely to fix a performance problem overnight.
Get the staff who are directly involved in the problem to define a remedial plan and hold them accountable to it.
A systemic issue
Performance management is a systemic issue, yet the responsibility for it rests on the shoulders of line managers, who must translate business targets into individual performance targets and then manage staff either formally through an appraisal system or informally through ongoing feedback. The simplest system cascades organisational targets down
Designing a performance improvement plan
When targets are fair and achievable, all resources are available and staff are fully trained, under-performance is most likely due to disengagement, and disengagement results directly from a lack of accountability. Performance can’t be improved if it wasn’t measured in the first place, so make sure you have targets and measurements in place, even when performance is good. Consider the following to develop a performance improvement plan:
Behaviour is difficult to change if there are no consequences. Don’t let bonuses and other perks become the norm, but ensure you have a rewards system in place which can be varied.
P
erformance management is a simple activity that many organisations over complicate. Fundamentally, organisational goals are translated into individual goals and a line manager
oversees the achievement of those, providing training and feedback as necessary. Many managers only begin to measure performance when it has already fallen, and without benchmarks for high performance, it’s difficult to know where to begin tackling the problem. Therefore, the most important factor in effective performance management is to measure results consistently when performance is good, not only when it needs to improve.
Identify the specific root cause of the performance shortfall.
Understand the timescales involved. You’re unlikely to fix a performance problem overnight.
Get the staff who are directly involved in the problem to define a remedial plan and hold them accountable to it.
A systemic issue
Performance management is a systemic issue, yet the responsibility for it rests on the shoulders of line managers, who must translate business targets into individual performance targets and then manage staff either formally through an appraisal system or informally through ongoing feedback. The simplest system cascades organisational targets down