Performance

Putting in longer hours over a period of time does not pay off. Loyal managers are literally sick and tired from spending their lives at work. In the industrial age, people were more like machines. More time on a job meant more widgets were made. That no longer holds true in the knowledge age. Tony Schwartz and Catherine McCarthy of The Energy Project have developed an assessment and training process to help people rejuvenate and re-engage at work and in their personal lives. The Energy Project’s ideas are consistent with Stephen R. Covey’s and David Allen’s theories. It’s another view […]

Innovation is a core component of corporate strategy. There is a positive correlation between new products and market share. Creativity is the ability to produce original and valuable work, concepts or ideas. Innovation is the process of turning creative ideas into new products or services. The process includes selection, development and commercialization of those ideas. Pre-employment tests can include tests for creative potential. Companies can select people based on one’s creativity quotient. There are many ways to test creativity, including: Divergent thinking, or generating a lot of ideas and possible solutions Convergent thinking is selecting the best solution Assessing the […]

Increased supervision is the most effective business strategy to improve financial performance. Yet supervision performance standards seldom exist and people responsible for supervision rarely receive training. As a result, managers lack the confidence needed to have a dialogue with employees about performance or behaviors. RainmakerThinking, Inc. conducted a survey of more than 1,000 managers to discover effective business strategies used during the economic crisis. The strongest financial results were seen with cost-cutting, innovations and increased supervision. Increased supervision resulted in the top financial results when only one strategy was used. Supervision takes time which is frequently wasted complaining about the […]

Technically managing an individual’s performance starts with a recruitment plan and ends with an analysis of the exit interview. Some believe performance management is the performance appraisal form managers complete once a year. Others think of it as using the disciplinary action procedures to document employee shortcomings. Both concepts are terminal uses of authority. Managing performance is an ongoing process that may require the use of formal power only after communicating expectations, providing information and problem solving fall short. Managers should never feel victorious when using their authority. Indeed, it means that all other measures failed. Skilled managers are quick […]