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Managing Performance
The Process
Good results without a
consistent process may just be good luck!
Effective leaders & managers of people master
the basics of a process that sets the standard for
behavior & performance, then coaches,
evaluates & recognizes performance
I think that coaching is not only a critical competency, but a highly satisfying one for managers! To turn around someone's performance, to guide someone in a better direction, to reinforce good performance - these are the things that can make you smile at the end of the day.
Chris Johnson, ALD, Inc.
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A consistent and fundamental process for managing performance can yield: |
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| Improved business results |
Motivated employees |
| Higher morale and satisfied employees |
Increased productivity |
| Developing, growing employees |
More effective leaders |
Work through the Managerial Best-Practices Self-Check for the fourth step of the process. Remember, the intent is not to "score" your responses, but to stimulate thinking about your organization, to give you the opportunity to assess whether you are observing important managerial behaviors and practices. Your own determination about the degree of satisfaction or dissatisfaction and the importance of these desired behaviors and practices will indicate whether developmental actions might be required.
Note: Though the check-up is written with an organizational focus, any individual manager can complete the assessment for his/her own use.
Read below and take the Managerial Best-Practices Self-Check for Step Four of the process
Managing Performance - Step 4
Coach Performance
The man who believes he can do anything is probably right,
and so is the man who believes he can't.
Holding up a mirror to people can help them see that many answers to their issues reside within themselves. Effective coaching techniques minimize the telling of how something should be done and maximize questioning -- helping someone see that he / she can do something.
Asking open-ended, thought provoking questions to stimulate awareness moves the "coachee" from receiving data and information from the coach to development of knowledge, then escalates to understanding and finally wisdom. What one discovers through an effective questioning process leaves a greater impression and is longer-lasting than what the coach "tells" from his/her own base of knowledge.
Check Satisfied / Not Satisfied and the Importance of managerial coaching behaviors here:
Coaching is a critical skill for managers to build effective and motivated employees. If you have questions checked in the Not Satisfied column, there might be one or a combination of skills that could be improved. The technique that managers use in coaching can be effective or ineffective in influencing performance improvement – and no one can afford the time lost with ineffective coaching. Too many managers tell the employee what to do rather than to engage the employee in problem solving to gain their ownership and commitment to agree upon solutions.
ALD Solutions to Your Coaching Competency Dilemmas
Online-classroom & personal assessments
(A) Managing Performance Discussions – An Online Course; This course provides a process to help managers have a discussion with an employee when performance needs to improve. Key communication skills are addressed, as well as a step-by-step outline for conducting the discussion in a way that respects the individual, and encourages him or her to take responsibility for improving performance.
(B) Coaching Job Skills – a four-hour classroom module from the Supervision Series. Upon completion of this module, the team leader will have the skills to conduct a successful meeting with a team member on how to perform a job, task or skill. The team leader will also learn how to distinguish between performance problems that require coaching and those that can best be handled by some other means.
(C) Personal Listening Profile – listening, that most-used-least-taught skill, essential to coaching
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When the coach really hears what people are saying in response to those questions, the coach can stimulate learning and reaching greater depths of understanding.
Our most-used, least-taught communication skill - listening - is an attribute people genuinely appreciate.
Improve your own listening skills - really hearing what people are saying - by recognizing how you hear. With the Personal Listening Profile®
you self-assess your own approaches to listening and
discover how you can improve this critical skill for managers.
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(D) Discovering Diversity Profile
Coaching may highlight interpersonal differences within the organization. Those differences and difficulties may stem from deeper issues than a mere conflict in personality style. The diverse workforce requires that every employee be a contributor to a productive work environment. Each of us is different, but it's our uniqueness, our talents, our experiences that make us vital to success of the organization. The importance of recognizing and valuing the similarities as well as the differences is the challenge all managers face -- and creating a place where everyone recognizes and values the similarities as well as the differences.
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Our increasingly diverse society is reflected in growing workforce diversity. Leading organizations acknowledge that working successfully with others who don't share the same background, beliefs, or traditions is a top priority in today's workplace. Employees need help in assessing their behavior toward people who are different from themselves. And they must understand the benefits of changing negative attitudes and resistance into appreciation and cooperation.
The Discovering Diversity Profile ® creates a new level of awareness, which may lead to a change in behavior. |
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It doesn't stop with coaching – next issue we’ll discuss evaluation of performance.
Take the complete assessment on our website
Having assessed your organization's management practices, you may have found some areas where
management development would assist in creating a more productive, results-oriented environment.
In what areas do you excel and where do you need to improve organizational or individual practices to
best serve your employees and to get best results?
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If you would like to retain a copy of this self-check, print a copy now;
your results will be lost when you close this document. |
Managing Performance
The ProcessThis fundamental process and these techniques work in all organizations. People want to know what is expected, how they are performing and to be fairly evaluated and recognized. A consistent process keeps the organization focused on business results as well as the growth and development of the organization's most important investment and asset, the people.Be more aware of yourself -- look into your mirror - check your own practices and attributes. As a leader, be knowledgeable about what people expect and how well you provide that leadership.
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ALD, Inc.