Ten Performance Management Ideas

These 10 tips will help you raise the performance of your company.

1. No Excuse is an “Acceptable” Excuse Managers are often too accepting of excuses. Don’t be. Excuses are a sign that the job wasn’t done. If you’re truly committed to results, you won’t be willing to make excuses. Failure can be overcome if you accept it. It may seem harsh and cold, but when people stop making excuses, they are forced to find solutions.
2. Priorities are important Encourage people to think in terms priorities and not excuses. Next time you hear “I don’t have enough time”, try replacing this excuse with “I’m sorry it wasn’t a high priority.” This simple shift in perspective will allow you to better manage your time, responsibilities, and get rid of the #1 excuse in business.
3. Acceptable Employees don’t like to share bad news, as they fear the consequences. Employees who fear the repercussions will be less honest and more likely to make excuses. People should be able to admit that they made a mistake. To be able to make excuses and accept mistakes, treat them as learning opportunities. Instead of looking for blame, focus on the “what” and “why” issues in problem solving, not “who”. Acceptance of risk-takers and praise them, even if they don’t achieve the desired outcomes, is a virtue.
4. Set clear expectations Share your expectations about job performance. Consider what success and failure looks like for each job in your company. Make sure that each job and every project have specific, measurable goals. (More on this later).
5. Connect the dots People feel more motivated to succeed if they are connected to the bigger picture and know why they have to do it. It is your job as a leader to demonstrate how the actions of others have an impact on the success of the company.
6. Accept Responsibility Keep people’s feet on the fire. Demand that they sign a written commitment to fulfill their responsibilities. Even more important, ensure that they follow up on their promises and establish accountability.
7. Prepare for contingencies Don’t forget Murphy’s Law. There are always things that can go wrong. It is important to plan ahead for potential problems and make contingency plans. Proactive problem solving reduces the likelihood of future excuses. It also maximizes your chances of success.
8. Reward them for their hard work You should only offer tangible incentives if you are able to achieve measurable results. It is best to offer rewards only if the goal is met. Simply stated, rewards are not earned if the goal has not been met.
9. Set up support systems Help employees know where they can get help when they have problems. Employees who don’t know where or how to get help are most likely to fail. Even superstars require coaching. In fact, it’s often more beneficial to invest time and resources into improving superstars than fixing problems employees. Give your employees the tools they need to succeed. These resources could include on-site or off-site training and formal mentoring programs. There may also be internal “help desks” that can help with specific issues and expert directories that list people who can be reached for assistance.
10. Conduct project post-mortems Debrief your employees at the end of each project. If the employees succeed, praise them and talk about why the project was successful. Turn the failure of employees into a learning opportunity.