by Judy Rathwell | Feb 1, 2021 | Leadership Aha!, Newsletter, Performance Development
As we enter a new year, organizations
continue to adjust to the impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak, including an
extension of work-from-home policies for many employees. As more time goes on
between “what used to be” and “the new normal,” the need to establish updated
procedures for employee-performance conversations has become imperative.
Employee performance conversations can be
challenging for all involved, even without considerations related to working
remotely during a pandemic. However, these conversations should still be a
priority to ensure future productivity, maintain morale and let employees know
you are invested in their performance as a member of the organization.
If your team is continuing with remote work, consider approaching performance conversations in a new way — thoughtfully, with compassion, and with a structured plan for mutually beneficial results.
Here are five ways to improve remote employee evaluations.
1-Check-in more often.
About three years ago, the University of Phoenix did away with annual performance reviews in favor of quarterly check-ins. It was a smart move then, and it makes even more sense now.
More frequent, structured conversations can
help offset the lack of in-person connectivity that naturally occurs in an
office setting.
It also allows managers to gauge whether employees are receiving the support
needed to complete tasks, meet objectives and succeed in their roles in their
work-from-home environment.
These regular check-ins should be used to make sure that expectations are clearly understood and that progress is being made. Remember that in many cases, remote employees are likely not working straight through from 9 to 5 every day, so this measure no longer applies.
2-Be compassionate but firm.
Leadership in a time of uncertainty requires
emotional intelligence. Every employee has challenges, some work-related and
some not. From the stress of helping children with online learning to managing
anxiety and depression to caring for an elderly parent, each stressor can
affect an employee’s work.
Communicating with understanding lets employees
know you care about their overall well-being and don’t view them as a cog in a
machine. This does not mean employees should be absolved of expectations or
responsibilities. It does mean you may have to think creatively and make
adjustments to support their success.
For instance, managers may need to consider flexible deadlines instead of rigid ones for noncritical work or reallocate resources to see a project or assignment through to completion. Rather than changing expectations, find solutions to achieve goals. This ensures continuity for the organization and shows employees you value them. Your return on investment will be in loyalty from your employees.
3-Reflect on the past, but focus on the future.
Managers sometimes make the mistake of using
performance conversations to look backward only, missing the opportunity to
look forward.
While evaluating an employee’s past performance is important, it shouldn’t be
the sole focus of your conversation. The past can be instructive, but you
cannot change it.
Instead, leverage past experiences as a way to create future successes. Performance conversations should be less about what happened during the past quarter and more about how to align to achieve success moving forward. A manager should leave a performance conversation knowing what the employee needs to effectively accomplish goals, and the employee should leave knowing the expectations. If you can effectively communicate on both ends, successful outcomes should follow.
4-Rethink your rating system.
Around the time we did away with annual
reviews, UOPX also nixed the traditional rating system, such as “needs
improvement, meets expectations,” etc.
Putting labels on employees does not add
value. In fact, employees can become so focused on the performance review label
that it distracts from what matters most in a performance conversation —
setting the employee up for success.
The value is in the coaching and the feedback, not an arbitrary label or rating. That focus is even more important now as we balance the stresses of the pandemic.
5-Camera on or camera off?
Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, I typically
met with employees face-to-face for performance conversations, even if they
telecommuted. There is value in seeing someone’s body language and hearing
their tone of voice.
To personalize these conversations now, I
prefer video calls to phone calls. It provides a sense of normalcy and allows
for human connection. At the same time, I recognize that some employees may
have reasons for keeping their camera off. In those situations, I always
turn my camera on as the leader even if the employee feels more comfortable
with their camera off. I want them to see they have my undivided attention.
While it may seem easier to delay performance
conversations or even scrap them entirely, they are necessary now more than
ever. Adjust your processes to best meet the needs of your employees, but do
not do away with the opportunity to provide feedback and support for your team
members.
Source: Jeff Andes January 22, 2021, Chieflearningofficer.com
by Judy Rathwell | Nov 9, 2020 | Influence, Leadership Aha!, Leadership Development, Newsletter
Leadership provides the opportunity to influence others. It is a great joy, but also an incredible responsibility. Influence is the ability to move others from where they are now into something new. However, influence is not a one-way transaction. We are influencing others and being influenced on a daily basis. When we race through life distracted and busy, we forfeit the opportunity to intentionally influence others. Thus, we must be intentional about what we take in and how we impact those around us.
People are always tuned in and observing our actions, words, and attitudes whether we realize it or not. We can choose intentional influence, and whether our influence is positive or negative.
As leaders, we cannot settle for influence
that is good enough. Great opportunities and exceptional work are
never born from settling for good enough. So, how do we have influence that far surpasses good-enough thinking?
1. Make the choice to be a positive influence. Great leaders understand that influence is equally as important as reputation. Reputation precedes us, and it creates an expectation of what is to come from you. Influence generates reputation and is what’s left behind after others interact with you. It’s the piece of you that you leave with others and the sentence that comes to mind when others think of you. Having a positive impact and leaving others with a positive sentiment is a conscious choice.
2. Accept
responsibility for your influence. Good leaders understand their ability to influence others. Great leaders
go beyond this and also accept responsibility for what is influencing them.
They guard their intake and are vigilant about how they are being influenced.
They are intentional about their inner circles and what information they
consume. This is critical because, ultimately, we give out what we take in. We
reproduce what we are.
3. Aspire to
inspire. Great leaders are
inspiring, especially during challenging times. They are able to bring out the
best in others and instill hope that draws people in. Great leaders are equally
inspiring as they are inspired themselves. They know the purpose that drives them
and tap into their mission to motivate others.
Influence is a two-way street. How others pour into you will dictate how you pour into others. Being intentional about your influence takes you, and those around you, from good enough to great.
Sourced from Kevin Brown at leadercast.com
Leadership is influence. Nothing more. Nothing less. – John Maxwell
by Judy Rathwell | Oct 26, 2020 | Communication, Engagement, Gratitude, Leadership Aha!, Newsletter
The easiest way to have a positive impact on your colleagues is to tell them how much you value them. While supervisors and managers may try to use their words to encourage others, they often don’t do a great job. The good news is, using our words to encourage others is easily done, whether you are working onsite or remotely.
Here are a few simple tips to make your words of encouragement most effective and some common mistakes to avoid:
- Be personal and individualized. Statements of encouragement to a team are great, however, they are impersonal. Direct and specific communication to one person makes the affirmation more sincere.
- The more specific the better. One of the most common phrases team members don’t want to hear is “good job!”. The phrase is so generic it could be applied to any person at any time. Be sure to tell the employee specifically what you appreciate about them and their work.
Some specific suggestions:
- Leave an encouraging voicemail.
- Use sticky notes to write short messages of appreciation.
- Recognize them during a meeting or conference call and give them an example of something they did well.
- Tell them why what they did is important to you, the organization, or your clientele. While it may seem obvious why an employee’s work is valuable or desired, they often don’t understand the true impact of their actions. Framing encouragement in light of the big picture can make it more meaningful.
- Keep in mind that words are not equally important to everyone. In a study with over 100,00 employees, less than 50% want appreciation through words. That tells us that 50% of employees want appreciation in ways other than words. Seek information from your employees regarding how they best experience encouragement and how receptive they are to other avenues of affirmation.
How do you encourage others at work?
Excerpt from Paul White from appreciationatwork.com
by Judy Rathwell | Oct 12, 2020 | Communication, Leadership Aha!, Newsletter
Although
communication is vital, it often interrupts work flow. Valuing the time and attention of others when communicating is
crucial. While keeping others in the
loop is important, sharing everything is a distraction. That’s why it’s
important to have effective methods for efficient communication.
- Utilize Chat Tools. A single centralized chat tool (Such as Slack or Teams) keeps everything together and is a central source for the entire company. Email is an important external tool but doesn’t always need to be used internally. Zoom and Skype are good tools and in-person meetings should be used more sparingly.
- “What did you work on today?” Automatically ask yourself and your team members “What did you work on today?”. Share the responses with the company. This creates loose accountability and strong reflection. Writing up what you accomplished every day is a great way to reflect on how you spent your time.
- “What will you be working on this week?” A good way to start the week is to create an automatic ask, “What will you be working on this week?” This is a chance for everyone to talk about and see the big picture. It sets your mind, and the mind of your team, up for the work ahead and allows everyone to see what’s happening.
- “Social questions”. Every few weeks, ask your team “What books are you reading?” Or “Try anything new lately?” Or “Anything inspire you lately?” Keep these questions optional and use them sparingly. These help to create dialogue about things people love and want to share with others. This is especially beneficial for remote teams.
- Reflect every 6 weeks. Every ~6 weeks, summarize the big picture accomplishments and detail the importance of your work. Highlight any challenges or difficulties. This can be a good reminder that, yes, sometimes things do go wrong. Reflect on the job well done and the progress made for the entire team or group.
- Project every 6 weeks. Rather than reflect, projections state what the team will accomplish in the coming weeks. The detail specific work for a specific group but can be useful for the entire company. These should be broad and don’t include too many details.
- Announcements. Occasionally, announcements need to be made. Whether it’s about a change in policy or reiterating an old one, these can be very beneficial. Sending out a written form of an announcement means everyone sees and hears the same information.
- Day to day communication requires context. Saying the right thing, in the wrong place and omitting important details, doubles the work and number of messages. Separate communication places should be set for each project, so nothing gets missed. Everything communicated relating to that project is in the same location. Communications should be attached to what they are referring to.
What has been working well with your team? We would love to hear! Email us at aha@ahaleadership.com
Excerpt from Basecamp
by Judy Rathwell | Sep 29, 2020 | Continuous Learning, Leadership Aha!, Newsletter
September offers a clean slate, a new start, and represents a new beginning. Although this September is unlike others before, it is still a change in season with different challenges and opportunities. Due to the disruption of the pandemic, more than ever we have resolutions and habits we want to start. While January is the start of a new year, September/Fall often feels like a good time to make some much-needed changes.
Gretchen Rubin, author of Better Than
Before, shares strategies of how to make and break habits. One helpful
strategy is the “Strategy of the Clean Slate”. The pandemic has afforded us
more time to evaluate our habits and behaviors and determine which ones are
working for us and which ones may be holding us back. During times of big
transition, old habits may be wiped away and we may be able to form new habits
more easily. A change in personal relationships, surroundings such as moving to
a new city, a life change like a new job or even minor changes like working in
a new room can all offer a “clean slate” to develop new effective habits.
A previous research study has shown that 36%
of people who were successful in making significant life changes in their
career, education, or health behaviors, associated this success with a move to
a new location. We want to take advantage of the start of a new season and
take actionable steps toward change.
Take some time to consider: What new habits do I want to adopt this season? What old habits or behaviors could be holding me back from reaching my goals?
What
one small, actionable step can I take this week to change or adopt a new habit?
Now is the time to make the changes we need
the most.
Sourced from Gretchenrubin.com
by Judy Rathwell | Sep 15, 2020 | Leadership Aha!, Leadership Development, Newsletter, Performance Development
For
every hundred men hacking away at the branches of a diseased tree, only one
will stop to inspect the roots -Chinese Proverb
Are individual members of your team
performing less well than you’d hoped for? How do you get them to improve their
performance?
First, understand that performance is a function of both ability and motivation. It takes both to do a job well. So, before you address poor performance, you have to diagnose if it’s a lack of ability or low motivation.
Tips
for addressing ability
- Resupply. Does your team member have
what they need to get the job done? Ask them about additional resources. Listen
for points causing frustration. Give the individual space to take
responsibility and share their perspective.
- Retrain. Provide additional training to
individuals lacking specific skills. It’s important to keep employees’ skills
current to cure poor performance.
- Refit. If the first two steps aren’t
curing the problem, consider refitting the job to the person. Are there
components of the job that could be reassigned and new tasks for them to take
on?
- Reassign. Consider reassigning the poor
performer to another role. Is there another job within the company that would
suit them better? Remember, this is not a punishment tactic, but a shift in
skills and tasks.
- Release. As a final option, you may need
to let the employee go. Sometimes there are not opportunities for refitting and
reassignment within the organization. In these cases, the best decision may be
for the individual to find other work.
Tips
for improving motivation
- Set performance goals. Goal setting is an important aspect of performance improvement. Employees need to understand what’s expected of them and agree on the actions they must take to improve.
- Performance assistance. Once you’ve set performance goals, support your team member by reassessing their progress, providing necessary training, or additional resources. Encourage cooperation and assistance from other team members.
- Performance feedback. It’s important for the individual to understand where they stand in their performance and long-term expectations. Consider providing timely feedback, being open and honest, and encourage individuals with a reward system.
It’s
important that you and the team member discuss and agree on the plan for improvement.
Set specific goals with timelines and dates by which goals should be achieved.
Monitor progress according to the tips above for improving ability and
motivation. Goal setting, feedback and a supportive environment are necessary
for improving poor performance.
Source:
MindTools
