What is the best way to approach performance management in a leadership role?

Always find out the perspective of the person you're supervising. Spend as much or more time listening as talking. Questions like from your perspective how did that fo? Was the outcome what you hoped for? If you could do it over what might you change? These are all springboard into meaningful discussion.

Having SMART goals is the foundation but being unbiased by following a few steps will help. 1) Practice unconditional listening. 2) Have regular check-ins 3) Ask coaching type of questions that can help the performance discussion. 4) Encourage stretch goals 5) Be empathetic during performance management discussions and support the well-being of the team member.

Yes, it’s a great discussion idea, the role of a leader is truly to produce results that are meaningful and progressive. Most often, leaders succeed better when they show their teams on how it’s done rather than just participate in goal discussions alone. Though this may sound naive, I have often witnessed a massive gap between planning and effective execution, primarily due to improper tools and guidance. Effective leadership is the cutting edge that differentiates the good from the great!

Transparent and Decisive Leadership. Coaching and Mentorship. Identify Willingness and Ability gaps. Re-invent and Innovate.

SMART goals are tried and true because: - Measurable goals allow for tracking progress and performance, helping to stay on course and make necessary adjustments. - Time-bound goals create urgency and prompt better time management to meet deadlines. - When goals are specific and achievable, it aids in identifying and allocating the appropriate resources effectively. - They ensure everyone understands what is expected, reducing ambiguity and potential conflicts.

Feedback is key !! Being specific in our feedback and not very abstract can help better performances. Giving feedback as close as to the event always help in being accurate and motivating. People appreciate when someone praises or corrects them closer to the time of the event rather than after a time lapse. Leaders should remember that feedback is not be mistaken as it’s only for corrective actions but it’s also a great opportunity to motivate the other of their performances are exemplary.

O feedback é essencial para o aprendizado, aprimoramento e reconhecimento. é um momento de reflex?o de sua atua??o, entregas e do que você acredita que pode ser desenvolvido. Um líder n?o deve esperar até a avalia??o anual de desempenho para dar feedback, mas sim criar uma cultura de feedback contínuo, onde se elogia o bom desempenho, aborda problemas prontamente e sugere maneiras de superar desafios. Um feedback bem aplicado é aquele em que podemos ver uma evolu??o na atua??o da equipe e dos seus resultados.

Our team recently surveyed a client group of leaders at the manager/sr manager level. 49% of leaders felt confident holding team members accountable. 60% felt confident delivering feedback. This means that roughly half the individuals surveyed avoid or stumble through providing regular feedback. I truly believe that most team members want to do a good job. They want to contribute towards their team's goals. They feel good when they help their company's bottom line. And, they need prompt, helpful, feedback so they can do their best at work. And, good news! After participating in our leadership program, 95% feel confident holding others accountable and giving feedback. These are skills that can be learned with practice.

Communication is a superpower. Your employees will appreciate it. And you will stand out as a top leader. But communication should include a record of the feedback and action items. If the feedback is never recorded, everyone will forget it - guaranteed.

Regular feedback is fairly easy. Constructive feedback that produces professional growth is much less easy. The manager must be growth oriented and must reach clearly defined growth targets with each person they supervise.

Lots of people can supervise - that's the minimal level of interaction that should be provide. Impactful leaders know how to combine elements of coaching and mentoring into their interactions with their direct reports in order to help those individuals grow personally and professionally.

In order to coach effectively as a leader it is essential to have developed trust with your team. Charles H. Greens Trust Equation is a great summary of the requirements to develop trust.

Rooted in trust and belief in inherent competencies, coaching transforms leaders into facilitators who guide individuals in unlocking their potential through strategic questioning. By adopting a proactive coaching stance, leaders contribute to a culture of empowerment, accountability, and continuous improvement, ensuring that objectives are not only established but also met, fostering success within teams and organizations.

Coaching is typically where you see the most growth from feedback. It should involve a challenge and opportunity for response.

I agree, and I will add that, in the workplace, manager/ leader- modeling is an absolute key! There is no substitute for the leader-manager ‘showing the way’—demonstrating and behaving as coach. Its my experience that there are times when you have to coach ‘side-by-side’ with members of your team! Show them how its done…we’ll beyond the typical hands-off coaching approach!

Effective acknowledgment and appreciation of good performance may be very critical. Gives fundamental directional clarity to the performers and also enlightens of the path to the ones lagging behind.

Recognizing and rewarding good performance is not just a motivational factor for employees; it's crucial for managers to focus more on employees' strengths than trying to compensate for weaknesses. Multiple studies show that when employees are encouraged in their strengths, they quickly achieve excellence in those areas. In contrast, trying to compensate for weaknesses results in only average performance with considerable effort. Beyond improved results for individuals, teams, and entire companies through a focus on strengths, employees feel more valued, enhancing company loyalty and motivation!

This is where its key to have relationship with your direct reports. It is your responsibility to understand how each person wants to be recognized and rewarded.

Reward is often thought of as monetary. No. You can reward by giving them a project they want to be part of. Or words of praise. Or showing them how their work actually mattered to you. It may seem trite, but what matters to you is not always what matters to others. When you start thinking from the employees' viewpoint, you can better tell what constitutes a decent reward and recognition.

Recognition and Reward rank right up there with oxygen in terms of motivating your unit. These two items are motivating factors that spur team members to give their discretionary efforts to do their jobs. These two lead to employees taking on more responsibility, advancing in their careers and achieving well beyond the manager’s expectations. Managers who effectively leverage these two factors, outperform their peer groups, hands down!

Certainly, identifying the underlying cause of performance issues is essential. Often, poor performance can stem from factors like understaffing, unclear job descriptions, and a lack of leadership for guidance. In such situations, it's important to approach feedback and appraisals differently, focusing on improvement rather than punishment.

The biggest issue in effectively handling poor performance is follow through by the manager. You can’t help nor hold someone accountable for their performance without modeling follow through the coaching plan.

Poor performance is contextual. When you have a consistently high performer who fails with one project, that's not poor performance. That's a symptom of something else. Study what's going on. Don't rush to judge. Explore, listen, learn and then consider the context of that poor performance. A client of mine was about to remove their best employee because he could not deal with a difficult client. True enough, this client was so difficult that even the boss had problems working with him. Was it the employee's problem? No. It was a problem with the process of matching clients to the employees. Once changed, the problem liberated itself.

Like the song title says accentuate the positive! Let the employee know what they are doing right and how much you genuinely appreciate them. Let them know that their job is perfectly safe while they work on their shortcomings. Keep in mind that not every person can become a high performer in any area with enough training. Know, understand and appreciate the limits of your team members. Focus on them building on strengths rather than spending hours and hours on deficiencies which may only yield limited improvement.

Understanding the root of the issue is so important. I would add being open to receiving honest feedback. Approaching the person with an empathetic, curious mindset, open to the possibility that we may have something to learn too, can go a long way.

Consider getting rid of performance management processes al together. Often it is a once, or twice in a year activity everybody dreads, both leaders and professionals, with unnecessary administrative pressure . Make it into an honest conversation where there is room for exploration, exchanging ideas and reflection on the contribution of each individual. Take your time, ask questions, be in the moment. Add a similar activity for teams.

Performance Metrics -Use relevant and measurable performance metrics to track progress. Ensure that these metrics align with overall organizational goals and individual contributions. Employee Involvement - Involve employees in the goal-setting process and decision-making related to their performance. This increases their sense of ownership and commitment.

One crucial aspect that deserves special mention is maintaining a strong line of communication. As a consultant, I would emphasize the significance of leaders establishing open and regular interactions with their team members. These interactions can take the form of one-on-one meetings where you discuss progress, address challenges, and provide a platform for valuable feedback. It's equally important to create a supportive environment that invites employees to freely share their thoughts, concerns, and aspirations. This human-centered approach fosters trust and collaboration, which is essential for effective performance management.

Algo en lo que no muchos ponen la atención que merece, es en la forma en que hacen las preguntas que permiten evaluar el desempe?o. Elaborar previamente una guía de preguntas que, sin agredir, permiten en el día a día ir recuperando información que más tarde será conjuntada, y valorada, resulta de mucho valor práctico a través del tiempo.