Performance Management: Three Tips To Get Started

As a new leader, I was all over the place with how to document my employee performance.  At that time, we had to do everything manually, but as my career progressed, it wasn’t about whether I did it manually or on the portals provided by my company, it was about the process and the substance.

Performance management should not be confused with performance evaluation.  Performance management is proactive engagement with employee performance through frequent discussions and performance evaluation is usually a once-a-year event that determines salary increase or performance rank of an employee based on overall performance.

I found that performance management helped me to develop my employees to a place of empowerment, which made my job much easier by using these three steps consistently:

• Preparation
• Conversation
• Follow-Up

Preparation:

This is a crucial step.  You cannot fly by the seat of your pants with these types of conversations. This helps to know exactly the type of conversations you need to have with your employee. It provides directions on how to help and what actions need to take place to hold the employee accountable.

• Created a template that contains all performance metrics 
• Created a separate document to discuss behavioral components
• Do your research to be knowledgeable about each employee’s performance
• Consistency with the systems helps to keep it fair for all employees

Conversation:

 Normally, when you take on a new team or job function changes, the initial conversation should:

• Include job function description, responsibilities, and how it contributes to the company
• Discuss company KPI’s and organizational goals
• Ask the employee what they need to be successful in this new capacity and how you can help

Once the team is established conversations should now include the following:

• Discuss key metric performance week over week
• Created a shared plan on how to improve in an area of opportunity and most importantly, how can you help
• Discuss behavioral components such as time management, attendance, or any other issue that may be impacting performance.
• Let your employee discuss anything that may be on their mind.  This shows that what they have to say or contribute is important
• Determine action plan based on conversation and set deadlines, if applicable.

Follow-Up:

• Based on the conversation, place a reminder in your calendar as to when you need to follow up with your employee on action items discussed. This ensures you hold yourself and your employee accountable for deliverables.
• Place a reminder in your calendar for any asks the employee has of you and act upon them. This builds credibility and shows your employee you are vested in their success.

A solid performance management plan will energize your employee, understand the importance of performance measurement, and improve performance through coaching and feedback. It is a forum for the leader and employee to build rapport and trust.  It’s also a great way to celebrate employee success.  The words you use and the empathy you display will create more confidence in your employee as well as create a team that is empowered and self-sufficient.

Performance management methodologies evolve and many other components are intertwined within the three steps that helped me stay consistent.  In some ways, it can be very simple, but because of all the moving pieces, it can be complex.  It requires some skill, but as I mentioned, the substance in the process you create will pay great benefits.  

About the Author: Liz Revels holds a Bachelor of Science in Management and an MBA from the University of Phoenix, and Master Certification in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from Purdue University Global that helped to propel her passion for the next journey, Rev It Up Consulting Group.