What is “performance management”? Tracking how many hours people are at work? Or tracking the results they produce? Hmmm. It’s easier to watch the clock than do the real work of managing performance.
We specify our work goals, and our intended results, and (sometimes) remember to give solid deadlines. But we often forget an important piece of our work specifications: the collaborators, resource-providers, authorities, and beneficiaries of our productive work.
Specifying “by when” you’ll get back to someone is an easy way to give people confidence in you. You may have to check your calendar to do that, but it’s a small task that benefits you as well as the people around you.
People, assignments, resources – lots of things show up late. We can do something to turn it around, or, if not, lateness will become a cultural fixture.
Ever have someone try to tell you the Right Way to do something when you’ve already made up your mind what to do? A few ideas on how to end those conversations, and maybe prevent their arising again.
Employee engagement means communicating what you want them to be engaged in. What is the goal they are working toward? Are they making progress? What is the “accomplishment of the month”? If people are disengaged at work, it’s a clue that there’s not much available to engage in.
The work of managing performance is simple and specific. That doesn’t mean it’s easy to make time for that work, or that it is the most fun part of a Manager’s job. But it IS part of the job.
Private conversations are useful in the workplace for some things, like hiring or re-positioning someone. But performance conversations – agreements for what people will deliver – are best done by the group. It builds teams, increases integrity, and improves “delivery performance”.
Workplace performance sometimes needs to be addressed more specifically, to clarify what you really want people to produce. Separating performance from personality might create the space for greater understanding of what performance means in your particular workplace.
Chuck, a maintenance guy, did some work for us the other day and we got talking about how he scheduled his job appointments. Since he was both friendly and skilled at his work, he had a few spare minutes to let me know the secrets of managing a contractor’s calendar. “It’s all about how I keep […]
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