Performance Management

Sharper Objectives

• Smart objectives help everyone agree expectations upfront.
• Goals describe aspirations, purpose and vision.
• Objectives are the battle plan, the stepping stones that move someone towards a goal.
• SMART objectives should be:
  • Specific, concrete, detailed and well defined.
  • Measurable, based on numbers, quantity or comparison.
  • Achievable, feasible and actionable.
  • Relevant, meaningful and within the person’s area of influence.
  • Time-Bound, with a defined timescale and end-point.
• Objectives should also be Stretching, Agreed and Realistic.
• Clear objectives reduce confusion and disagreement later on.

Momentum Through Small Wins

• Motivation does not always come from large rewards or grand gestures.
• Small steps forward on meaningful projects can improve creativity, productivity and engagement.
• Regular progress helps people build richer, more productive work lives.
• Managers can support motivation by:
  • Celebrating progress every day.
  • Recognising small wins.
  • Dealing with setbacks constructively.
  • Providing clear goals, resources and support.
  • Offering encouragement and recognition.
  • Using successful moments to introduce new challenges.
• Negative events can have a stronger impact than positive ones, so setbacks should be handled quickly and effectively.

Better Feedback Conversations

• Positive feedback should reinforce good behaviours.
• The message is: “Keep doing this” or “Do more of this”.
• When giving positive feedback, state:
  • What they have done or said.
  • Why it was effective.
• Subjective words such as “excellent” or “fantastic” should be supported by hard evidence.
• Improvement feedback should focus on what needs to stop or change.
• When giving improvement feedback, state:
  • What they did or said.
  • Why it was ineffective on this occasion.
• Difficult conversations should be prepared with a clear, specific introduction.
• A useful structure is:
  • Name the issue without provoking defensiveness.
  • Select a specific example.
  • Describe how you feel about it.
  • Clarify why it matters.
  • Identify your own contribution to the problem.
  • Offer support and invite the other person to respond.

Reviews That Motivate

• Performance Development Reviews should contain no surprises.
• They are not a substitute for regular and effective supervision.
• Both parties should know the issues to be discussed in advance.
• Reviews should be a two-way process.
• A useful speaking ratio is 30:70, manager to staff member.
• The staff member should be encouraged to:
  • Analyse their own performance.
  • Suggest their own development ideas.
  • Discuss strengths, weaknesses and average performance.
  • Agree practical actions for improvement.
• Reviews should cover all aspects of performance, good, bad and average.
• Above all, reviews must be motivational.
• Even when performance has been poor, the review should define actions for improvement and build confidence to put them into practice.