Help Your Employees Hit the Mark
Source: Partner Insights
The following includes excerpts, reproduced with permission, from an article by Jim Whitt*.
The typical performance review is the equivalent of landing an airplane and asking, “Now, where are we?” The real performance review should take place in real-time every day. The manager's role should be like that of a flight instructor. The employee's role is like that of a student. The instructor and student fly side by side.
Clearly Define Expectations
- Employee completes a list of his job expectations.
- Manager completes a list of the employee's job expectations.
- A discussion takes place to reconcile the two lists until both are in agreement.
Measure Behavior, Values, and Skills
The manager and the employee complete assessments to measure the behavior, values, and skills required for the job. Compare the assessments. This establishes a benchmark that helps the employee to understand his strengths and helps the manager understand how to capitalize on his strengths. It also identifies areas that need strengthening.
Communicate Constantly and Consistently
Provide a system and process for constant and consistent communication. In my first job out of college, my sales manager called me every Monday morning. His questions included: What's going on? How are you doing? What can I help you with?
Provide Specific Feedback
• When employees meet or exceed expectations they should be told they are on course.
• When employees fail to meet expectations they need to be told they are off course.
• Both types of feedback need to be specific.
Choose Your Direction
Employees need and want direction. Like flying a plane, reviewing performance should be a matter of constant course adjustments. If you wait until the end of the flight to make adjustments to the course you will always be disappointed with where you land.
For the complete article, read “Real-Time Performance Reviews.”
From Partner Insights, Aquila Global Advisors, LLC, September 30, 2010, www.aquilaadvisors.com.
*Jim Whitt is cofounder of Purpose Unlimited, www.PurposeUnlimited.com, which is in the business of transforming lives, leaders and organizations through the power of purpose.