Some managers think of performance appraisal meetings and recollections of torn Achilles' heels or root canals immediately surface. They're sort of "been there, don't want to go again" situations. The more it can be put off, the better.
Study after study shows that both managers and employees are very dissatisfied with performance appraisals and often view them as a necessary evil to get over with quickly. Here are seven strategies to turn performance management from a nightmare into a sweet, or at least tolerable, dream.
1. Prepare for the appraisal meeting. Give yourself adequate time to review an employeeґs file, complete an evaluation of their performance and outline topics for the session. Itґs also a good idea to note some talking points and do a mental walk-through of the meeting.
The employee also needs to prepare in advance. Ask the person to assess his or her performance. Suggest that she also jot down concerns, questions and opinions regarding her work and suggestions for improving it.
2. Explain the reason for the meeting. When you begin the appraisal session, state the purpose of the meeting in straightforward terms. No matter how often employees have been through appraisals, they may not understand how their work is being judged, why it is being evaluated or what the performance appraisal is for. Reassure the employee that your role as manager is to help them succeed in their job and identify areas of strength and areas that need improvement.
3. Remain positive. Avoid using judgmental phrases and words like "poor performance" or "weakness." You are there, however, to suggest ways that an employee can improve their work and discuss causes of below-average performance. Express your concerns in concrete terms and use detailed examples.
4. Ask questions. Your discussion should be guided by open and closed questioning techniques. Closed questions, which tend to elicit a "yes" or "no" response, require specific answers. Open questions encourage a general discussion and usually begin with "could," "would," "how," "what" or "why." Use open questions at the beginning of the appraisal to stimulate discussion and closed questions at the end to summarize.
5. Foster productive and open communication. In general, when you reflect the employeeґs thoughts, they feel understood and acknowledged. But be prepared for negative reactions. When you talk with an employee about poor performance or inappropriate behavior, they may deny, blame, fall silent, respond abusively or display an emotional outburst, such as crying. If the appraisal session deteriorates, terminate it and reschedule the meeting.
6. Suggest improvements. During the appraisal, discuss any areas in need of improvement and offer specific, realistic and concrete suggestions and solutions. Be prepared to sell your improvement suggestions to the employee - they may not be receptive to your ideas. Together you and the employee should develop a plan to correct any problems.
7. Close the interview. Summarize the major points and be sure to end on a positive, encouraging and upbeat note - even when the employee is very troubled or deficient. If you canґt provide the employee with immediate feedback, follow up as soon as you can and finalize the appraisal in a timely fashion.
Work SMARTER, not harder. Make sure your performance appraisal meetings get RESULTS.
Marcia Zidle, the 'people smarts' coach, works with business leaders to quickly solve their people management headaches so they can concentrate on their #1 job to grow and increase profits. She offers free help through Leadership Briefing, a weekly e-newsletter with practical tips on leadership style, employee motivation, recruitment and retention and relationship management. Subscribe by going to http://leadershiphooks.com/ and get the bonus report "61 Leadership Time Savers and Life Savers". Marcia is the author of the What Really Works Handbooks resources for managers on the front line and the Power-by-the-Hour programs fast, convenient, real life, affordable courses for leadership and staff development. She is available for media interviews, conference presentations and panel discussions on the hottest issues affecting the workplace today. Contact Marcia at 800-971-7619.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Thursday, April 22, 2010
50 Great Ways to Motivate and Not Break the Bank
Quick, Easy, and Even Fun!
1. Smile, say "Hi! How are you doing today?"
2. Regularly invite someone to join you for coffee.
3. Send them flowers, chocolate, a bunch of balloons.
4. Provide a group lunch---pizza, six-foot sub, barbecue.
5. Write someone a thank-you note and put a copy in his/her file.
6. Hand out coupons for an extra 30 minutes for lunch.
7. Make a donation to their favorite charity in their name.
8. Give out tickets to a movie/play/cultural/sporting event.
9. Celebrate achievements with bulletin boards, videos, E-mail.
10. Catch and recognize someone doing something right, not wrong.
11. Write a letter of appreciation to their family.
12. Bake a batch of cookies for someone or for the team.
13. Give limited time off, with pay, when things are slow.
14. Bring a camera to work, get candid shots and post on a humor board.
15. Go to the movies. During lunch or breaks, run a funny movie or TV show.
16. Ask about their interests, family, or weekend activities.
17. Send a company T-shirt or hat to the employee's child(ren).
18. Walk around with free lunch coupons. Hand out on the spot.
19. Recognize special accomplishments publicly in meetings or celebrations.
20. Hand out life savers, M&M's, tootsie roll pops, or other appreciation snacks.
21. Get candid shots of people doing good work. Post photos on bulletin boards.
22. Take out an advertisement in a local paper and include their names and pictures.
23. Allow flexible work time so they can participate in outside work-related activities.
24. Have special days. Hold an "ugly tie" or "ugly sweater" day. Award joke prizes for the winners.
25. Give them a surprise for their work area---a desk organizer, a picture or poster, a new mouse pad.
Communication and Involvement
26. Listen 80% of the time and talk 20%.
27. Actively make a point to speak to all staff each day.
28. Ask them, "What am I doing that gets in your way?"
29. Ask them, "What can I do to help you with your job?"
30. Give information to staff after management meetings.
31. Let them attend a meeting in your place.
32. Sponsor membership in a professional group.
33. Give a subscription to a work-related periodical.
34. Let them "sit-in" with an upper level person for part of a day.
35. Rotate jobs so people can gain new skills and get cross-trained.
36. Arrange for the boss to acknowledge good work.
37. Go to your staff's work area. Meet them on their turf.
38. Promote individual / team training with time and budget.
39. Provide quarterly updates on relevant business and customer issues.
40. Allow them to exchange positions with someone else in the company for a half-day.
41. Ask staff what rumors they have heard, and address them.
42. Represent reality as it is---people don't like being fooled or surprised.
43. Involve them in a special project that allows for company exposure and visibility.
44. Ask for their opinions and listen. Many times they have a better "take" of the situation.
45. Get into the "trenches" with your staff. Learn about their jobs-- the good's and the bad's.
46. Ask staff, "What's not working, why is it not working and what can be done to fix it?"
47. Ask staff, "What is making our clients/customers the most and/or the least satisfied."
48. Have a suggestion system - rewards for ideas that actually reduced costs or improved processes.
49. Make them feel part of the team. Help them to move from "It's not my job," to "Let's do it."
50. Finally, provide more appreciative feedback - good stuff coming more often than the bad stuff.
Pick and choose the ones that "fit" your people, your company and your budget. Remember what is one person's carrot is another's "yucky" orange vegtable.
Marcia Zidle, the 'people smarts' coach, works with business leaders to quickly solve their people management headaches so they can concentrate on their #1 job to grow and increase profits. She offers free help through Leadership Briefing, a weekly e-newsletter with practical tips on leadership style, employee motivation, recruitment and retention and relationship management. Subscribe by going to http://leadershiphooks.com/ and get the bonus report "61 Leadership Time Savers and Life Savers". Marcia is the author of the What Really Works Handbooks resources for managers on the front line and the Power-by-the-Hour programs fast, convenient, real life, affordable courses for leadership and staff development. She is available for media interviews, conference presentations and panel discussions on the hottest issues affecting the workplace today. Contact Marcia at 800-971-7619.
1. Smile, say "Hi! How are you doing today?"
2. Regularly invite someone to join you for coffee.
3. Send them flowers, chocolate, a bunch of balloons.
4. Provide a group lunch---pizza, six-foot sub, barbecue.
5. Write someone a thank-you note and put a copy in his/her file.
6. Hand out coupons for an extra 30 minutes for lunch.
7. Make a donation to their favorite charity in their name.
8. Give out tickets to a movie/play/cultural/sporting event.
9. Celebrate achievements with bulletin boards, videos, E-mail.
10. Catch and recognize someone doing something right, not wrong.
11. Write a letter of appreciation to their family.
12. Bake a batch of cookies for someone or for the team.
13. Give limited time off, with pay, when things are slow.
14. Bring a camera to work, get candid shots and post on a humor board.
15. Go to the movies. During lunch or breaks, run a funny movie or TV show.
16. Ask about their interests, family, or weekend activities.
17. Send a company T-shirt or hat to the employee's child(ren).
18. Walk around with free lunch coupons. Hand out on the spot.
19. Recognize special accomplishments publicly in meetings or celebrations.
20. Hand out life savers, M&M's, tootsie roll pops, or other appreciation snacks.
21. Get candid shots of people doing good work. Post photos on bulletin boards.
22. Take out an advertisement in a local paper and include their names and pictures.
23. Allow flexible work time so they can participate in outside work-related activities.
24. Have special days. Hold an "ugly tie" or "ugly sweater" day. Award joke prizes for the winners.
25. Give them a surprise for their work area---a desk organizer, a picture or poster, a new mouse pad.
Communication and Involvement
26. Listen 80% of the time and talk 20%.
27. Actively make a point to speak to all staff each day.
28. Ask them, "What am I doing that gets in your way?"
29. Ask them, "What can I do to help you with your job?"
30. Give information to staff after management meetings.
31. Let them attend a meeting in your place.
32. Sponsor membership in a professional group.
33. Give a subscription to a work-related periodical.
34. Let them "sit-in" with an upper level person for part of a day.
35. Rotate jobs so people can gain new skills and get cross-trained.
36. Arrange for the boss to acknowledge good work.
37. Go to your staff's work area. Meet them on their turf.
38. Promote individual / team training with time and budget.
39. Provide quarterly updates on relevant business and customer issues.
40. Allow them to exchange positions with someone else in the company for a half-day.
41. Ask staff what rumors they have heard, and address them.
42. Represent reality as it is---people don't like being fooled or surprised.
43. Involve them in a special project that allows for company exposure and visibility.
44. Ask for their opinions and listen. Many times they have a better "take" of the situation.
45. Get into the "trenches" with your staff. Learn about their jobs-- the good's and the bad's.
46. Ask staff, "What's not working, why is it not working and what can be done to fix it?"
47. Ask staff, "What is making our clients/customers the most and/or the least satisfied."
48. Have a suggestion system - rewards for ideas that actually reduced costs or improved processes.
49. Make them feel part of the team. Help them to move from "It's not my job," to "Let's do it."
50. Finally, provide more appreciative feedback - good stuff coming more often than the bad stuff.
Pick and choose the ones that "fit" your people, your company and your budget. Remember what is one person's carrot is another's "yucky" orange vegtable.
Marcia Zidle, the 'people smarts' coach, works with business leaders to quickly solve their people management headaches so they can concentrate on their #1 job to grow and increase profits. She offers free help through Leadership Briefing, a weekly e-newsletter with practical tips on leadership style, employee motivation, recruitment and retention and relationship management. Subscribe by going to http://leadershiphooks.com/ and get the bonus report "61 Leadership Time Savers and Life Savers". Marcia is the author of the What Really Works Handbooks resources for managers on the front line and the Power-by-the-Hour programs fast, convenient, real life, affordable courses for leadership and staff development. She is available for media interviews, conference presentations and panel discussions on the hottest issues affecting the workplace today. Contact Marcia at 800-971-7619.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Plans & Goal Setting - Kicking winning Goals
Kicking Winning Business Goals
The competition for business is hotting up. The advances in new technology, ease of communication, and increasing expectations from customers have combined to make the marketplace more competitive than ever. In this world it is critical for small and medium businesses to be proactive about creating their future. Without proactivity, things just seem to 'happen' without your control.
A management system that is centred around goals is one tool that the business can use to craft its future. This is a system of deciding what you are going to do everyday based on the goals you are working toward.
It sounds simple enough, but the research clearly shows that most businesses don't set goals - at all. The goal setting process can seem daunting if it's unfamiliar territory, or if you have so much on your mind that you don't know where to start. This process will help you to sort through your key issues and create forwards momentum by setting goals that are innovative, resolve problems and improve results.
A goal-centred management system has 3 elements:
1. The goal or the objective you want to achieve
2. The activities required to achieve the goals, and
3. The review or evaluation process.
Here are the 5 steps required to put your goal management system in place.
1. Identify your Goals
Start by asking yourself these three questions. If you have employees, often they have a different view about issues in the business. Including them in this process can be really valuable.
What are the three things that irritate me the most about my business right now?
What have I been putting off, that I know will have a positive impact on my business?
What is working pretty well, but could be improved?
It might help you to think in terms of some common categories such as:
Employees: skill levels, right people in right jobs
Managers: management style, experience
Customers: strength of customer base, number, loyalty etc
Financial: cash flow, capital, low debt, profit margins etc
Reputation: well-known brand, well regarded
Products/Services: innovative, short time to market, no competition, price
Environment: flexible work practices, physical working environment, location
Technology: automated, streamlined, productive
Production: capacity, product range
Distribution: low cost, efficient
Sales/Marketing: promotion strategy, marketing materials etc
2. Write down what you want to achieve for each identified goal
With your answers to the questions, actually write down how each thing would look at it's most successful. Goals should be in writing, in measurable terms and have specific timelines.
For example, if you had chosen technology, your goal might be "to implement an integrated and automated contact management system by April 30th that takes away most of the manual work I do now."
3. Break goals into measurable steps
For each goal that you've articulated, break it down into the steps you need to do. You must include timeframes for each step.
In our example, the steps might be:
Researching available contact management systems - by 31 Jan
Analyse each one along cost, technology implications, ease of learning - by 29 Feb
Decide and purchase - March
Implement system - April 5th
Test and undergo training - by 30 April
Ensure that all the people who are impacted by a goal fully participate in the crafting of the goal and the action plans.
4. Allocate people to do the actions
Be clear about who is responsible for what activity. Make sure everyone understands their responsibilities and signs up to achieving them.
5. Create a fail-safe tracking method to monitor success
This is absolutely essential. Without it, the business will simply continue to react rather than choose it's own direction. There are many different ways of monitoring. A simple method is to come together once per week and check where each current activity is at. You also get the opportunity to remove obstacles and plan any additional activity. If you work solo, schedule time in your diary each week to track your progress.
This process of constant review and resetting action steps based on actual progress is the hallmark of having a goal centred management system. A simple goal setting process leaves out this vital step.
So make the time and set your business up for success. Invest a few hours each week in careful planning and consideration, and see your business reach it's true potential.
Megan Tough, Director of Action Plus, is passionate about helping people enjoy their businesses. She works internationally with business owners to systematically remove the stress points from their business, giving them more time and space for - well -whatever they want! Visit her at http://www.megantough.com for more information on taking the stress out of your business.
The competition for business is hotting up. The advances in new technology, ease of communication, and increasing expectations from customers have combined to make the marketplace more competitive than ever. In this world it is critical for small and medium businesses to be proactive about creating their future. Without proactivity, things just seem to 'happen' without your control.
A management system that is centred around goals is one tool that the business can use to craft its future. This is a system of deciding what you are going to do everyday based on the goals you are working toward.
It sounds simple enough, but the research clearly shows that most businesses don't set goals - at all. The goal setting process can seem daunting if it's unfamiliar territory, or if you have so much on your mind that you don't know where to start. This process will help you to sort through your key issues and create forwards momentum by setting goals that are innovative, resolve problems and improve results.
A goal-centred management system has 3 elements:
1. The goal or the objective you want to achieve
2. The activities required to achieve the goals, and
3. The review or evaluation process.
Here are the 5 steps required to put your goal management system in place.
1. Identify your Goals
Start by asking yourself these three questions. If you have employees, often they have a different view about issues in the business. Including them in this process can be really valuable.
What are the three things that irritate me the most about my business right now?
What have I been putting off, that I know will have a positive impact on my business?
What is working pretty well, but could be improved?
It might help you to think in terms of some common categories such as:
Employees: skill levels, right people in right jobs
Managers: management style, experience
Customers: strength of customer base, number, loyalty etc
Financial: cash flow, capital, low debt, profit margins etc
Reputation: well-known brand, well regarded
Products/Services: innovative, short time to market, no competition, price
Environment: flexible work practices, physical working environment, location
Technology: automated, streamlined, productive
Production: capacity, product range
Distribution: low cost, efficient
Sales/Marketing: promotion strategy, marketing materials etc
2. Write down what you want to achieve for each identified goal
With your answers to the questions, actually write down how each thing would look at it's most successful. Goals should be in writing, in measurable terms and have specific timelines.
For example, if you had chosen technology, your goal might be "to implement an integrated and automated contact management system by April 30th that takes away most of the manual work I do now."
3. Break goals into measurable steps
For each goal that you've articulated, break it down into the steps you need to do. You must include timeframes for each step.
In our example, the steps might be:
Researching available contact management systems - by 31 Jan
Analyse each one along cost, technology implications, ease of learning - by 29 Feb
Decide and purchase - March
Implement system - April 5th
Test and undergo training - by 30 April
Ensure that all the people who are impacted by a goal fully participate in the crafting of the goal and the action plans.
4. Allocate people to do the actions
Be clear about who is responsible for what activity. Make sure everyone understands their responsibilities and signs up to achieving them.
5. Create a fail-safe tracking method to monitor success
This is absolutely essential. Without it, the business will simply continue to react rather than choose it's own direction. There are many different ways of monitoring. A simple method is to come together once per week and check where each current activity is at. You also get the opportunity to remove obstacles and plan any additional activity. If you work solo, schedule time in your diary each week to track your progress.
This process of constant review and resetting action steps based on actual progress is the hallmark of having a goal centred management system. A simple goal setting process leaves out this vital step.
So make the time and set your business up for success. Invest a few hours each week in careful planning and consideration, and see your business reach it's true potential.
Megan Tough, Director of Action Plus, is passionate about helping people enjoy their businesses. She works internationally with business owners to systematically remove the stress points from their business, giving them more time and space for - well -whatever they want! Visit her at http://www.megantough.com for more information on taking the stress out of your business.
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