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The Below-Standard Boost: Seven Ways to Head Off Performance Issues
April 25, 2008
Edited by Stacy Straczynski
Firing someone can be a dicey proposition. But a good manager knows that it's far better to help your below-standard employees improve before you get to that point.
All leaders are familiar with employees who exhibit below-standard performance. Maybe yours is the salesperson with inconsistent numbers or the assistant manager who's out with a "headache" every other non-payday Friday. But here's the thing: these people aren't terrible employees … they're just not doing what they should be. You're not ready to fire them, but if you don't do something, their performance issues are sure to escalate.
"[Many leaders] are hesitant to deal with performance issues, so they send indirect messages and subtle signals, or simply avoid the situation hoping it will go away," says Jennifer Forgie, managing partner at OnPoint Consulting. "As a result, the people who are doing the full job … become more and more resentful of coworkers who appear to be getting away with bad behavior or not doing their fair share of the work."
"Ultimately, the leader's reticence to deal with the below-standard-performing employee leads to another problem," she adds. "When … the poor performer is told she must improve, it often comes as a shock because this is the first she is hearing that there is a problem."
Surprisingly, this is an extremely pervasive problem. A previous survey conducted by OnPoint Consulting found that over half of respondents—115 HR professionals and 441 line managers—have a negative view of their companies' performance management systems. OnPoint's survey also found that only about 50% of respondents believe their current rating systems facilitate the delivery of feedback during the performance review, and only 45% believe their current rating scales enable managers to accurately differentiate levels of performance.
So, back to your poor-but-does-not-yet-need-to-be-fired performers: What can you do to keep their below-standard performance from snowballing out of control?
• Paint a clear picture of what "good" performance looks like. "In order to be able to pinpoint poor performance, you need to get very clear about what high performance looks like, and translate that into specific behaviors and outcomes," says Forgie. "It's not enough to simply say, 'Joe, you need to be more proactive.' Well, what does that really look like?"
• Communicate your expectations in plain English. Make sure employees understand and agree to them. You must make sure your "Joes" know what's expected of them. It's not fair to hit them with corrective feedback or a bad review if you haven't made your expectations crystal clear.
• Don't let expertise or revenue production be a get-out-of-trouble-free card for the employee. Just because Sylvia brings in a big account or does a bang-up job with the company Web site, doesn't mean she’s necessarily doing a good job. If she's brusque, arrogant or condescending with coworkers, she is slowly poisoning your culture. Is the money she's bringing in worth the disruption and resentment her behavior is causing among her coworkers? Probably not.
• Raise performance concerns while they are fresh. "There's no doubt that most people hate confrontation," notes Forgie. "It can be awkward and difficult, but it must be done—it's the only way to prevent performance issues from becoming a problem employee. When goals and expectations for behavior have been clearly described and agreed to, these conversations can be easier. It doesn't have to get ugly if you focus the discussion on the agreed upon behaviors and performance targets."
• Provide ongoing coaching and feedback, both scheduled and spontaneous. Behavior change is much more successful when efforts are regularly reinforced. That means giving individual feedback—both positive and constructive—to employees around their progress on goals, not just once a year at the annual performance review. Leaders should stay on top of this strategy, even if the performance management system does not require it.
• Celebrate small victories. Another key in turning around performance problems is to be sure to recognize progress toward improvement. "Too often, managers reserve recognition for their top performers or 'save it up' until poor performers get up to standard," says Forgie. "While it is clearly important to recognize high performers, it is just as important to recognize all positive behavior, especially when it's a step in the right direction … This helps build momentum and confidence, and it reinforces the behaviors that are needed for this person to turn around."
• Goal setting and coaching don't just magically happen. Make sure managers are trained for competence in these skills. Without these fundamental skills, no performance management system can turn performance problems around. The majority of companies in OnPoint's study (62%) provide managers with training to conduct effective performance evaluations. Yet fewer organizations (53%) provide the skill training related to setting goals and coaching and feedback.
OnPoint Consulting is an organizational and leadership consulting firm that specializes in helping companies close the gap between the creation and communication of their vision and strategy and the achievement of their business objectives. For more information, please visit onpointconsultingllc.com.
Sales & Marketing Management Magazine
This article is brought to you by Sales & Marketing Management, the leading authority for executives in the sales and marketing field.
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