Please develop my performance, don’t just manage it!

I have an issue with the term ‘performance management.’ I want to be?developed?as an employee and as a leader I want to develop my team. It’s a small change in the title but it means a lot. Managing feels like a process to fall back on if someone falters over the course of the year, development has far more positive connotations. The irony is that whenever I have had to actually?manage?performance in the sense that things are not going so well it has come from observation and working with that person as opposed to being revealed through the performance management process.

Be brave and make an assumption or two!

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Sometimes an assumption can get you into trouble but there are times I think you have a right to assume. I feel I have a right to assume that everyone in my organisation is doing their job and they are doing it to the best of their abilities at any given time?and?I know that this level fluctuates. After working hard on developing the culture within the organisation I believe I can assume that everyone knows our aims, and know that they will be supported and challenged as appropriate. When I accept all this then the barriers are lifted in terms of the annual appraisal process and I can focus on developing?not?managing.

So what can be done with the new freedoms?

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First thing I did was pass control of the process to the appraisee. I have been through one too many meetings trying to engage the appraisee, remind them of their targets and then offer new targets. All meetings now start with the appraisee sharing a plan of how they want to develop and how it will impact on them and the priorities of the organisation. This ensures it has meaning and value to the person at the center of it. The appraiser is a facilitator asking questions for deeper understanding and looking for opportunities for department or whole organisation growth. Furthermore the plan is flexible - targets and focus areas can change over the year as priorities change or targets are achieved. Never has this been more applicable than in the last two years as Covid-19 effectively wiped out all targets set as every organisation made changes to their priorities. Next, I allocated research time for people to use to support the process. This is a small amount of paid time which is only a ‘nod’ towards what people put in but it shows the organisation’s commitment to it and importance of it.

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So far the impact has been really positive. Line managers have described appraisal meetings as exciting and full of enthusiasm, people are sharing their research informally and through formal meetings and we are showcasing some of the work that may have gone largely unnoticed in the past. We still need to work on it, time for feedback is an ongoing project. Research shows that today's workforce responds to immediate feedback rather than formal planned occasions and that they work harder when their efforts are recognised - I suspect it may have been ever thus!

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If I had to summarise the switch from managing to developing performance I would say that it has put a new energy into the organisation that is gaining momentum and that so far no one has stopped delivering in terms of the ‘day job!’

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As individuals we thrive when working collaboratively, when we seeded the idea of Leadership 43, we collectively had 43 years of leadership service. We have all led schools, small rural schools to three form entry urban schools to a ‘boutique’ and effective Multi Academy Trust.

We have all led in times of turbulence, challenge and high pressure. The element that brought us together is our passion that the development of leadership at all levels within an organisation should be a given.

We use our collective knowledge, skills, expertise and learning to support your organisation in providing high quality leadership development for your employees. We are all accredited Resilient Leader Consultants and use this as part of our extensive toolkit.

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If you believe that the time has come for you and your organisation to take a fresh, new and exciting look at performance management, please do contact us email us at?[email protected]

Visit our website?Leadership43?to find out more about our services.