If your company is like most of the companies that I have worked in there is a good chance that once a year, you get the opportunity to go through the “annual performance review”. This is typically nothing more then an evaluation of your performance based on a pre-selected group of competencies that should relate to your current position. Your boss, who may or may not actually have the insight and/or working relationship with you to accurately evaluate your performance typically conducts the review. Furthermore, the results of your evaluation may influence your annual bonus, raises, and even promotions. To top this all off, there is a good chance that this evaluation will do nothing to help you develop as a professional within and for the company.
While the annual performance review is a good start and often required for administrative purposes, the whole process does little to actually develop the people who are being evaluated. With all the talk of “talent management”, “succession planning” and “employee development” it would seem that the annual performance review would at least serve as a starting point for the professional development of a companies most valuable asset – the employees. But from my experience, this is not the case. More often then not, I see the following; the performance reviews are conducted, the boss has a brief conversation with the employee and then it’s over…..until the following year.
So what is the best way for you or your company to take the same “philosophy” behind evaluating performance and turn it into an actual process that advances the skills, behaviors, and performance of the person receiving the evaluation?
1. Begin incorporating 360° feedback into the evaluation process. While the 360° process can be used in conjunction with the annual review, I prefer to use them independently of one another. The “annual review” is best used for general administrative purposes, while the 360° is best used for personal and professional development purposes. 360° feedback is the best way to collect feedback from multiple people at all levels in the organization.
2. After reviewing your report with your boss, pick a couple of areas that you and your boss believe are important to strengthen for your professional development and career goals. Next, go to a few people who you trust and seek out their feedback on the issues you have selected to focus on. Ask for their opinion and listen. Remember, you’re seeking out feedback so this is not the time to disagree. Just listen and say thank you. That’s it!!!! Take the additional information and begin creating a development plan with measurable goals.
3. If you are struggling with any of the issues that you have selected, ask your boss for advice or find a mentor to provide you with regular feedback and ongoing support. Depending on the areas that you have decided to further develop, it may be appropriate to work with a professional coach.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Monday, February 16, 2009
Leading in tough times....
Just finished reading a Q & A with Michael Beer, professor at Harvard University, about his upcoming book “High Commitment, High Performance: How to Build a Resilient Organization for Sustained Advantage.” The focus of the book is on how you can manage in tough times while avoiding liquidation and having to reduce your human capital. Mr. Beer goes on to say, “CEOs of HCHP (high commitment, high performance) companies think very differently about their employees. They see them as an asset and care about them as people. As a result they manage downturns differently from the norm, too.”
I found this last line interesting because in my consulting practice, I have seen more and more business leaders trying to find ways to engage their employees, encourage commitment, and keep their best people from looking for another job. My prediction is that as we begin to slowly pull out of these tough economic times, more and more business leaders are going to realize just how important their people are to the success of the organization. They will see just how much a committed employee can mean to the long term growth and success of their organization.
So my question to you, the manager, president, CEO and or business leader, is why wait until it is too late? Why wait until your best employees have moved on to “bigger and better things?” Why not begin showing them and telling them how important they are right now. Find out what they need to be better and provide it – now! Don’t get caught in the “shoulda-woulda-coulda” trap. Act now before you lose your most valuable company asset – your people.
All it takes is taking some time to talk to your employees. Find out what they want, what they need and how YOU can help them be better at their job. It’s that easy to get started.
I found this last line interesting because in my consulting practice, I have seen more and more business leaders trying to find ways to engage their employees, encourage commitment, and keep their best people from looking for another job. My prediction is that as we begin to slowly pull out of these tough economic times, more and more business leaders are going to realize just how important their people are to the success of the organization. They will see just how much a committed employee can mean to the long term growth and success of their organization.
So my question to you, the manager, president, CEO and or business leader, is why wait until it is too late? Why wait until your best employees have moved on to “bigger and better things?” Why not begin showing them and telling them how important they are right now. Find out what they need to be better and provide it – now! Don’t get caught in the “shoulda-woulda-coulda” trap. Act now before you lose your most valuable company asset – your people.
All it takes is taking some time to talk to your employees. Find out what they want, what they need and how YOU can help them be better at their job. It’s that easy to get started.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Are you my "ideal" coaching client?
I cannot tell you how many times a friend or family member asks me what my ideal coaching client looks like. I have heard it 1,000 times so I thought; why not share it with you? I have also decided to use "she" when describing this person because I get tired of writing he/she. I tell you this because I don't want you to think that my ideal client is always a woman.
1. Successful: This person has advanced in her career and is currently working in an upper management position. She has “served her time” and has begun making the climb up the corporate ladder.
2. Strong business acumen: Many things can lead to a persons professional successes but strong business acumen is almost always required. Together, we might change a few behaviors that make the client even more effective, but without a strong business acumen there is only so far she can go.
3. A bit of patience: Behaviors take a long time to form so it only makes sense that they don’t just change overnight. While a ton of patience is not required, a little bit goes a long way.
It’s that simple. Are these requirements for my coaching clients? No, just what I have found to be the "ideal" client. Ideal because she has what was required to advance to her current position. Since I know that she has those skills, we can begin to focus on what is required to make it to the next level.
1. Successful: This person has advanced in her career and is currently working in an upper management position. She has “served her time” and has begun making the climb up the corporate ladder.
2. Strong business acumen: Many things can lead to a persons professional successes but strong business acumen is almost always required. Together, we might change a few behaviors that make the client even more effective, but without a strong business acumen there is only so far she can go.
3. A bit of patience: Behaviors take a long time to form so it only makes sense that they don’t just change overnight. While a ton of patience is not required, a little bit goes a long way.
It’s that simple. Are these requirements for my coaching clients? No, just what I have found to be the "ideal" client. Ideal because she has what was required to advance to her current position. Since I know that she has those skills, we can begin to focus on what is required to make it to the next level.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Selecting the "right fit" for your company
Right now, we can't escape the news and headlines of more people being laid off, the stock market nightmares, and the economy creeping closer and closer to the days of the great depression. If you're like most, you want to run, hide, and come back out when this whole thing is better. While this doesn't sound like a bad idea at times, the truth is right now is the time to fight and to make sure that you have "the right people on the bus" to lead your company through the tough times.
Not all companies are letting people go and in fact many companies that I work with are actually hiring employees on a weekly basis. The smart companies realize that in these tough times it is more important then ever to hire the right employee for not only the job, but for the company as a whole. If you are like most business owners/leaders or HR professionals, you realize that the resume and the interview only give you so much information about the candidate........and there is a really good chance that some of the information is a bit exaggerated. So how do you ensure that the people you bring into your company have more then just the knowledge of the business? How do you make sure they have the skills, behaviors, and even the values to be productive and last in your company? You must begin with a simple benchmark of the job and then use a proven and validated assessment to make sure that the person you're paying has what it takes to perform.
When you think about the costs associated with advertising for the job, the time, resources, and money you are losing interviewing candidate after candidate trying to find that diamond in the rough, you will start to see the dollars add up. Once you think you've found the "right person", you still have to work with him/her to develop the skills required for the job. You have to hope that their work behaviors match with their bosses and colleagues, and even if you get all that right, how do you know that the type of work they will be required to do day in and day out is going to provide them with the type of motivation and rewards that are required to make them stay on long term? If they quit early, you're right back to square one and all that money you spent is not only wasted, but you're about to start the same process over again.
So, how do you avoid these costly hiring mistakes? You move past the traditional interview and resume screening and begin benchmarking and assessing your candidates before you make that final decision. There are numerous assessments out there that can help you do this, some are better then others, but making the decision is guaranteed to improve the quality of employees you bring on.
Not all companies are letting people go and in fact many companies that I work with are actually hiring employees on a weekly basis. The smart companies realize that in these tough times it is more important then ever to hire the right employee for not only the job, but for the company as a whole. If you are like most business owners/leaders or HR professionals, you realize that the resume and the interview only give you so much information about the candidate........and there is a really good chance that some of the information is a bit exaggerated. So how do you ensure that the people you bring into your company have more then just the knowledge of the business? How do you make sure they have the skills, behaviors, and even the values to be productive and last in your company? You must begin with a simple benchmark of the job and then use a proven and validated assessment to make sure that the person you're paying has what it takes to perform.
When you think about the costs associated with advertising for the job, the time, resources, and money you are losing interviewing candidate after candidate trying to find that diamond in the rough, you will start to see the dollars add up. Once you think you've found the "right person", you still have to work with him/her to develop the skills required for the job. You have to hope that their work behaviors match with their bosses and colleagues, and even if you get all that right, how do you know that the type of work they will be required to do day in and day out is going to provide them with the type of motivation and rewards that are required to make them stay on long term? If they quit early, you're right back to square one and all that money you spent is not only wasted, but you're about to start the same process over again.
So, how do you avoid these costly hiring mistakes? You move past the traditional interview and resume screening and begin benchmarking and assessing your candidates before you make that final decision. There are numerous assessments out there that can help you do this, some are better then others, but making the decision is guaranteed to improve the quality of employees you bring on.
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