Every-Day Leader Performance Management for Good Performers
It’s no surprise that motivating others is critical, especially when it comes to performance management. Part of being an Every-Day Leader means enabling your employees to be successful high performers. They feel more confident and truly want to grow and in their roles. As a leader, you know that positive reinforcement goes a long way. When you give them what they want, your team members give it back in spades. Here’s how…
Notice Me!
Most people want to do a good job and be noticed for their work. If you’ve ever had a dog or raised a child, you know the effects of positive reinforcement. Specific, straightforward and timely praise creates a swell of pride in your team members. After all, everyone feels compelled to keep doing behavior that elicits a positive response. Every-Day leaders follow The One Minute Manager author Ken Blanchard’s advice to “catch your employees doing something right”. It’s simple and it works!
Do you know how to identify really good performance and limit average or below par performance? Facts and data will support exactly how your employees are performing but it’s up to you to motivate them. Use fact-based information when doing your performance reviews and you’ll have the tools you need to administer appropriate praise. So how do you identify good performance? It starts with knowing exactly what you’re looking for.
Set your team up for success
- Set crystal clear expectations for each employee on your team at the beginning of the new fiscal year.
- Involve them in setting goals and tactics to increase their motivation. Let them know you’ll be measuring against these to enable successful performance.
- Hold accountability meetings with each employee and together as a team. Your employee should report details about where they are in achieving against their goals or work plans.
- Using active listening techniques, the Every-Day leader seeks to understand where they are successful and where they are falling short.
- Know their language! It’s much easier to make progress when you know what motivates your employees. Find their “language” of appreciation and relate to them accordingly.
Spend Time with Your High Performers
You probably know that 80% of your time goes to 20% of your people. It makes sense then, to put the bulk of your attention on those that are invested in your company’s success. Keep your high performers engaged and growing and they’ll act on your behalf to motivate the rest of the organization. Therefore, catch them doing something really well, rely on data to assess performance and invest time in their development. We’ll address the lower performing employees in next week’s blog. Contact me to see how I can help you use best practice performance management.