There’s no such thing as the perfect employee. No matter how great your staff are, the odds are that, at some point, they won’t be performing at their best. They’ll go through a tough time, they’ll misunderstand an instruction, or they’ll just, plain and simple, mess up.
It never ceases to amaze me how managers deal with situations. Given the regularity of their expected occurrence, they really should know better. Here are just a few examples of bad performance management practices I’ve encountered:
Hinting: Instead of dealing with the behavior, they make subtle hints, hoping that a vague, indirect reference or even a humorous comment will do the trick.
Deferral: “I’ll make a note for the annual performance review.” Instead of sorting the problem there and then, the person considers the matter dealt with by making a note on the person’s file, intending to bring it up at the review, no matter how far away it may be.
Avoidance: The supervisor, seeking to avoid dealing with the issue, tries to assure themselves that it’s a one-off incident, and hopes it goes away.
Threat: “If you don’t stop answering your personal cell phone at work, I’ll put it on your permanent record”. The supervisor tells the person what the problem is, but backs it up with a threat to make sure the person is paying attention.
These are all far less than your staff deserve. When you fail to address an issue properly, you’re doing your staff member a great disservice. It’s your responsibility to deal with these problems in a positive way. You might want to know how this is possible but, if you use the right approach, people will be open to your feedback, and may even be grateful for your honesty.
How NOT to do it!
Hints may succeed, but the chances aren’t great that the employee will pick up on the need to make the change or take it seriously.
Deferrals don’t allow for a behavioral change – all they offer is a ‘gotcha’ come review time, which may be months away.
Avoidance achieves nothing – if you do nothing, you’ll get nothing.
Threats might have the desired effect, but you’ll build resentment and a culture of fear, not co-operation.
How to do it!
The old management adage holds true: “Sell, don’t tell!”
The concept here is that, when you approach the subject from the perspective of helping the employee, and give the person reasons to change their behavior, then you give them the opportunity to make a positive change and you dramatically increase the chance it will stick. When people are sold on an idea, and take it on as their own, they are far more likely to follow through. When they understand why they need to make the change, there’s a far bigger chance they’ll run with it.
Instead of using words like “constructive criticism” (let’s face it, the recipient will only hear the second half of that statement!), try asking “Would you be happy if I gave you some feedback?” Once you have their approval, try making a three-point explanation:
1) Explain how the undesired behavior can impact on them, and why it is in their best interest to change their behavior.
2) Explain how the undesired behavior can impact on the department, and why it is in the department’s best interest to change their behavior.
3) Explain how the undesired behavior impacts you, and why it would help you if the behavior is changed.
So, let’s go back to the example of the cell phone; Instead of the hard and fast discussion that goes something like this: “Kerry, you spend time on personal cell phone calls every day – it was at least half an hour yesterday. This isn’t an extension of your social life. Stop it, or I’ll put you on an action plan.” Instead, try selling Kerry on why it is in everyone’s best interest for her to leave her cell phone for break times.
That discussion may include points such as these:
Kerry, by using your cell phone for personal calls in the office during work time, you’re making it harder for you to be your best at work by affecting your concentration. It may stress you out if it leads to you making mistakes. Also, you may be developing resentment by the people who work with you.
Many of your coworkers, who don’t have personal calls at work, won’t have to take your business calls for you. Being available to talk to your customers can help enhance their opinions of you and our business.
I would much rather spend time on strategic issues than listening to your ring tone. It would help me greatly if we could address this together.
One of the biggest challenges about selling versus telling is that it takes preparation and time. Some managers justify the quick threat because they’re too busy with other, more important issues. What they don’t realize is that the time it takes to sell is a worthy investment. By respecting their employees, and gaining cooperation and understanding, they will promote a nurturing, feedback-driven and honest work environment.
What I haven’t covered yet is that feedback is not only about problems. A company working towards continual improvement also has a culture of positive feedback. For every behavior changing discussion, there should be at least two positive recognition discussions for each employee – our mothers were right when they said that you ‘catch more flies with honey than vinegar’!
When managers and leaders coach their employees to enhance their performance instead of barking orders and threats, the vast majority of employees are appreciative of the time and attention. Most staff members actually like it when a manager invests time and attention in them. After all, people are a company’s greatest asset!
