Question #2: How well am I doing it [my job]?

If you want to be an effective leader, you must be able to answer these questions for EACH OF YOUR TEAM MEMBERS.

The first question is the most important and fundamental:  WHAT’S MY JOB?

The second question follows the first: HOW WELL AM I DOING IT?

Your job as a leader is to answer the second question with FEEDBACK – accurate and straightforward – it’s essential for every one of your team members!  Management guru Ken Blanchard supports this idea enthusiastically.  He calls feedback, The Breakfast of Champions.

Most organizations recognize the value of feedback and incorporate it into their management practices in the form of the requisite annual performance review.  That’s a good thing, right??

Well…

What’s wrong with annual Performance Reviews???

FIRST OF ALL… Sadly, for many employees… The annual performance review is the ONLY time they receive any feedback on their performance!

That is WAY too infrequent, especially if an employee is not performing at an acceptable level.  Think about it!  If one of your team members needs help in order to succeed in their work, the commonsense response for you as their leader is to give them the help they need AS SOON AS YOU DETECT A PROBLEM! 

Allowing a team member to continue to fail over time only worsens the problem!

• It’s frustrating and demotivating for THEM…
• It’s frustrating and demotivating for their fellow TEAM-MEMBERS, who are counting on them to pull their weight on the team and contribute to team success…
• It’s frustrating and demotivating for colleagues on OTHER TEAMS in the organization who are counting on YOUR team to do their work effectively…
• It’s frustrating and demotivating for YOU to have to find ways to work around their failure…
• It’s frustrating and demotivating for YOUR BOSS, who is expecting you to FIX THE PROBLEM!!

By the way… If you DON’T do something to address the problem of a failing employee, eventually your boss will conclude that YOU are the problem; that YOU are the one who is failing in their job!

I do not recommend that you allow that to happen!

SECOND… Sadly, many performance reviews result in subjective ratings… determined by the boss! 

In other words, it’s up to the manager or supervisor to determine what “number” to give the employee.  Further, numbered ratings are often given vague definitions with no real objective means of measurement.  So…the employee and the manager are required to “guess” what it means to give an employee a rating of “satisfactory” in a given category when it is defined as “fulfills the minimum requirement.” 

So… if an employee comes to work EVERY DAY on time, which is the minimum requirement for attendance (isn’t that what it means to have a job—to show up on time?) does that mean they get a rating of “satisfactory?”  If so, how does an employee get a rating of “excellent” in the area of attendance???  Must they show up early every day??  Do employment laws (or union contracts) allow for that requirement???

That often creates friction between employees with different bosses, when those bosses apply different subjective ratings for the same level of performance.  So…one team is happy with a rating of “excellent” for showing up to work on time every day, but another team is frustrated with a rating of “satisfactory” for having the same pattern of on-time attendance.

That’s why a vague system of performance standards often produces disgruntled employees.

THIRD… Sadly, many companies arbitrarily set evaluation limits, often with unspoken policies that everyone understands and accepts as part of the corporate culture.

Maybe YOU have worked for such an organization, where everyone understands the policy “we don’t give fives” at this place.  That kind of policy—unwritten or not—also discourages employees! 

Imagine if you wanted to get into a really good college, but were required to go to a high school with the policy “we don’t give A’s at this school.”  Would you be motivated to do your best work at that school?  I’m guessing you would rather attend a high school without that arbitrary “ceiling.”

Sometimes, that policy is supported by the idea that a “5” is for “perfect” performance, and that would mean “no more room for improvement.”  And since there is ALWAYS room for improvement, it wouldn’t make sense to give people a “5” rating.  Right??

Once again, this kind of thinking stems from a lack of OBJECTIVE standards.  Thus, nobody knows what actual performance justifies a level “5” rating.  It’s up to the boss to determine their own standards and ratings.

What do I recommend instead????

Instead of performance feedback that is:

• Infrequent
• Subjective
• arbitrary

I recommend performance feedback that is:

• Continual
• Objective
• Based on clear and measurable standards

Continual feedback takes place continually throughout the year, especially after every assignment—sometimes even during an assignment!  It means addressing any employee problems or failures when they are happening.  This is the only way you can help a failing worker correct performance, attendance or behavior problems and get back on course to succeed. 

Up Close and Personal

In my management seminars, I teach leaders to follow up EVERY completed assignment with this 3-fold strategy:

• Review – take a look at the outcome and do a thorough evaluation.
• Respond – give your team member feedback – both affirming AND correcting (if required).
• Reward – find a way to give a successful team member tangible affirmation, even if it’s just a smile and a verbal “attaboy.”

This requires a private, one-on-one, face-to-face conversation with your team member.  If you are uncomfortable, unsure, or untrained to do this with confidence, download my LeadershipTracks Newsletter #6 by simply clicking on the title.   For expanded detail, download the companion issue of The Personal Trainer. Use the formula AND the forms I provide to guide you in this all-important management responsibility. 

Now… here’s the real key to your success as a leader: don’t neglect to give your team members POSITIVE, AFFIRMING feedback when appropriate!  They need to hear from you when they are hitting the mark.  They need you to affirm and recognize their good work.  You must say something. The only way they will know for certain that they are succeeding in their work is if you TELL them – directly, openly, and clearly.  If you need help to do this part of your work with confidence and skill, check out the LeadershipTracks Newsletter #5 and its companion issue of The Personal Trainer. I provide an easy formula (and form) to guide you in this equally important process.

I know… some of you may be thinking: WHY SHOULD I PRAISE MY PEOPLE FOR DOING WHAT THEY’RE GETTING PAID TO DO?  I hear this question constantly from overworked managers and supervisors.  Here’s what I tell them: You need to say something, because you need to send the strong message to your people, “I notice, and I care.”  If you don’t care enough to at least say something, they won’t care either.  It’s that simple.

Objective feedback is based on measurable behavior and outcomes.  It starts with an assignment.  When you give a team member a task to do, make sure you describe what a successful outcome should look like!  When employees have a tangible, measurable standard for successful performance, they have the ability to manage their own performance without your constant oversight. 

What might that look like?

• Load eight trucks per shift
• Fix the air conditioning by the end of the workday
• Process fifty applications per week
• Raise one million dollars in donations this quarter
• Increase sales by 20% this year
• Don’t be late to work more than three times each month
• Earn four additional educational units this year

Clear and measurable standards are like the ones I just showed you—they’re based on objective metrics. 

FOR EXAMPLE… How do you achieve or justify a level “5” performance rating???

• Load eight trucks per shift
• Fix the air conditioning by the end of the workday
• Process fifty applications per week
• Raise one million dollars in donations this quarter
• Increase sales by 20% this year
• Don’t be late to work more than three times each month
• Earn four additional educational units this year

You get the picture. 

If you need some help re-energizing low-productive teams and equipping struggling leaders, we can help!  We can bring our expertise into your organization and help your whole management team.  Contact us and we will show you lots of affordable ways we can help your leaders get better.  And if you want to know the rest of the 5 questions, stay tuned – I’ll tell you about them in the next posts.

Until next time… Yours for better leaders and better organizations,

Dr. Jim Dyke – “The Boss Doctor” ™ helping you to BE a better boss and to HAVE a better boss!