PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT: FOUR WAYS TO MANAGE IT BETTER
Managing employee performance isn’t always easy. It takes a lot of work to coach and guide a team to greatness and to recognize and develop talent.
So here are four things to consider when managing employee performance.
1. Handle issues as they arise. You cannot expect someone to learn, if you do not provide them immediate feedback when they do something extremely well or extremely poorly. Just like a child learns appropriate behavior through praise or punishment at the time of the occurrence, so do we as employees. In addition, it will gain you credibility as a manager who is willing to confront issues and dole out praise when appropriate.
2. Focus on behavior not personality. When discussing performance with an employee, phrase it in terms of appropriate and inappropriate behavior, instead of focusing on the individual. No finger pointing or personal judgments. Instead of saying, “You’re not a team player,” indicate the specific behavior that caused the problem. The deadline they missed, the errors in their work, the snide comments they made.
3. Solicit feedback and suggestions. Performance management is a two-way street. Employees need to take responsibility for their own performance by suggesting solutions when issues arise. Let them know you have ideas for improvement; however, you would like to hear theirs. Then be sure to validate their input.
4. Create a supportive environment. Performance management can be intimidating for you as manager, as well as for the employee. Make it a learning situation for both of you. Be prepared that an employee may become defensive when confronted with poor performance. You need to remain in control. Listen and maintain your composure.
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