Performance

June 26, 2014

Resist The Rescue!

Some managers, especially those new to the role, believe they need to know everything. They see themselves as the “answer-man” or the go-to-person. This thinking reduces one’s confidence and works against the role of manager, coach or leader. Managing is getting things done through others, using people as resources; not directing each action. Responding to others’ questions with answers feels good. A manager may see herself as a servant-leader, but that is not the case. This person isn’t a leader but a firefighter who is always in reaction mode putting out one fire after another. It may feel good to […]
May 28, 2014

Stop assigning numbers to people!

Performance appraisals may finally be a human resource system of the past. Tons of evidence and our guts tells us they are ineffective measures of performance. Often, the best performers do not get the highest performance scores. The more we try to fix the appraisal process, the more convoluted and difficult to administer it becomes. The appraisal process is threatening for both the evaluator and the person being evaluated. Seldom has the evaluator been trained in judging performance, have a clear understanding of the position’s expectations and have frequent opportunities to observe an individuals’ performance. Recent findings reveal the ratings […]
April 30, 2014

Where’s The White Space?

The work world is smaller and spinning faster than ever. Many of us keep up by moving faster, doing more work with fewer people and modifying processes to minimize cost. That is what makes profits grow. But it may not distinguish us from others. Imagine if you could stop time for an hour. Chances are most of us would use that hour to clean off our desks, reply to emails or perform other tasks that give us a false sense of accomplishment. Since information is coming faster than ever, you would gain little ground with that spent hour. An empty […]
February 10, 2014

Hire Slowly

Take time to evaluate the need for the position whether it’s a newly created position or a replacement. Align the need to the business purpose. If a job description exists, review and revise it. Know and incorporate the skills, aptitudes, and work style of the best performers in the position or a similar position. Refine the purpose statement to include key words designed to be optimized in search engines. Identify the functions critical to the position and describe the level of authority. The qualifications must be relevant, tied back to the essential functions and objective, such as two or more […]