Barbara Brown, PhD asked:
You are getting ready to do one of your least favorite management tasks: have a performance discussion with a poor performer. But before you have this discussion, you want to organize your ideas so you can clearly describe the problems and state your expectations for improvement. You have a standard approach that you use, but your past discussions have not gone particularly well. Consider trying the BID approach:
B-Behavior: Describe specific unsatisfactory behaviors. If the issue is “poor customer service,” describe what the employee does, or does not do, that makes the behavior unsatisfactory. Ask yourself:
1. Is it How the employee does something?
2. Is it When the employee does something?
3. Is it Where the employee does something?
4. Is it about the Quality of the work?
5. Is it about the Timeliness of the work?
I-Impact: Describe who and/or what the employee’s behavior impacts. One employee’s poor performance can have a negative impact on numerous areas. Consider these areas:
1. The employee’s ability to achieve personal, professional, or workload goals
2. The workloads of other coworkers
3. Your workload, as the employee’s manager
4. The delivery of products or services to customers
5. The achievement of team, office, or organizational goals
D-Discuss: Give your own ideas and seek input from the employee on ways to improve. There are several ways to handle the discussion at this point. Consider these four:
1. Discussion Plan One: You ask the employee for suggestions first, you give your suggestions, you both agree on a combination of suggestions, you conclude the discussion with a follow-up plan.
2. Discussion Plan Two: You give your suggestions first, you ask the employee for suggestions, you both agree on some combination of suggestions, you conclude the discussion with a follow-up plan.
3. Discussion Plan Three: Your employee has no suggestions, you give your suggestions, you advise the employee on implementation of those suggestions, you conclude the discussion with a follow-up plan.
4. Discussion Plan Four: Your employee gives you suggestions, you have no additional suggestions, you advise the employee on implementation of those suggestions, you conclude the discussion with a follow-up plan.
Your Approach Determines Your Discussion Success
Talking about performance improvement is never easy. But it has to be done. Your success often depends on your approach. If you use vague terms to describe poor performance, you are unlikely to get the results you want. And you will have a hard time measuring changes in behaviors. So being specific about what you want employees to do, or not do, is important. It’s equally important to describe the impact of unsatisfactory performance. Likewise, involving employees in the discussion about suggestions for improvements is useful.
If the approach you use to talk to employees about unsatisfactory performance isn’t working, or if you are looking for a way to be “just a little more effective” when you talk about performance improvement, give the BID approach a try.
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]]>You are getting ready to do one of your least favorite management tasks: have a performance discussion with a poor performer. But before you have this discussion, you want to organize your ideas so you can clearly describe the problems and state your expectations for improvement. You have a standard approach that you use, but your past discussions have not gone particularly well. Consider trying the BID approach:
B-Behavior: Describe specific unsatisfactory behaviors. If the issue is “poor customer service,” describe what the employee does, or does not do, that makes the behavior unsatisfactory. Ask yourself:
1. Is it How the employee does something?
2. Is it When the employee does something?
3. Is it Where the employee does something?
4. Is it about the Quality of the work?
5. Is it about the Timeliness of the work?
I-Impact: Describe who and/or what the employee’s behavior impacts. One employee’s poor performance can have a negative impact on numerous areas. Consider these areas:
1. The employee’s ability to achieve personal, professional, or workload goals
2. The workloads of other coworkers
3. Your workload, as the employee’s manager
4. The delivery of products or services to customers
5. The achievement of team, office, or organizational goals
D-Discuss: Give your own ideas and seek input from the employee on ways to improve. There are several ways to handle the discussion at this point. Consider these four:
1. Discussion Plan One: You ask the employee for suggestions first, you give your suggestions, you both agree on a combination of suggestions, you conclude the discussion with a follow-up plan.
2. Discussion Plan Two: You give your suggestions first, you ask the employee for suggestions, you both agree on some combination of suggestions, you conclude the discussion with a follow-up plan.
3. Discussion Plan Three: Your employee has no suggestions, you give your suggestions, you advise the employee on implementation of those suggestions, you conclude the discussion with a follow-up plan.
4. Discussion Plan Four: Your employee gives you suggestions, you have no additional suggestions, you advise the employee on implementation of those suggestions, you conclude the discussion with a follow-up plan.
Your Approach Determines Your Discussion Success
Talking about performance improvement is never easy. But it has to be done. Your success often depends on your approach. If you use vague terms to describe poor performance, you are unlikely to get the results you want. And you will have a hard time measuring changes in behaviors. So being specific about what you want employees to do, or not do, is important. It’s equally important to describe the impact of unsatisfactory performance. Likewise, involving employees in the discussion about suggestions for improvements is useful.
If the approach you use to talk to employees about unsatisfactory performance isn’t working, or if you are looking for a way to be “just a little more effective” when you talk about performance improvement, give the BID approach a try.
Create a video blog
Sam Miller asked:
Being a proprietor of any business, the need to check on the performance of the business itself in its entirety is quite inevitable. Any owner of any business would want to know how his business is doing. To do this, there are so many factors to consider. In this aspect alone, the whole process can become complicated because you would have to choose from these many quantifiable factors. This is exactly why there is a need to employ the balanced scorecard approach that was developed in the early 1990s. But this does not end here because engaging in a balanced scorecard discussion can actually help you in understanding every aspect of the subject.
Just what exactly is the balanced scorecard? And what makes it one of the most sought-after managerial tools in businesses nowadays? This method actually measures the performance of the company. Both financial and non-financial measures are used here, so you are guaranteed balanced results when you employ this approach. By using all the elements of the scorecard, members of the management team can collect relevant data from the scorecard itself, which are then analyzed accordingly. The last step here would then be the interpretation of the collected data that has undergone analysis. By using the balanced scorecard, you are then assured that the information you collected are relevant to the whole purpose.
A wide variety of formats of the balanced scorecard have been used by the many organizations all over the world. There are two common applications that many businesses prefer to use however. The first of which is Strategic Management, and the other one is Operational Control. These applications are similar when it comes to their visual properties and aspects. However, these applications need the support of procedures that are very different from one another. As expected, since these procedures are different in nature, then the results rendered are as different as they can get.
Having a strong background on the balanced scorecard approach is not enough if you want to maximize the use of such for your company. Remember that the world of business is at a very fast pace at this point in time. Thus, it would be of very much benefit to pay attention to updates as they happen in the business world. One of the effective methods here is to take part in a balanced scorecard discussion or forum. When you take part in this forum, you actually get to converse with fellow proprietors and entrepreneurs regarding the approach itself. You can also share whatever thoughts and opinions you have on relevant matters, as well as ask your colleagues any questions that you might have. Remember that the people who take part in such a discussion practice the method itself, so you are guaranteed advice and such that can be charged to personal experience. You just might find a group of people who can greatly help you in implementing the balanced scorecard approach for your own company. The fact that these people are more experienced in using the approach guarantees a safety net of assurance already. You just might not need that much convincing for you yourself would see how practical the implementation of the scorecard is.
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]]>Being a proprietor of any business, the need to check on the performance of the business itself in its entirety is quite inevitable. Any owner of any business would want to know how his business is doing. To do this, there are so many factors to consider. In this aspect alone, the whole process can become complicated because you would have to choose from these many quantifiable factors. This is exactly why there is a need to employ the balanced scorecard approach that was developed in the early 1990s. But this does not end here because engaging in a balanced scorecard discussion can actually help you in understanding every aspect of the subject.
Just what exactly is the balanced scorecard? And what makes it one of the most sought-after managerial tools in businesses nowadays? This method actually measures the performance of the company. Both financial and non-financial measures are used here, so you are guaranteed balanced results when you employ this approach. By using all the elements of the scorecard, members of the management team can collect relevant data from the scorecard itself, which are then analyzed accordingly. The last step here would then be the interpretation of the collected data that has undergone analysis. By using the balanced scorecard, you are then assured that the information you collected are relevant to the whole purpose.
A wide variety of formats of the balanced scorecard have been used by the many organizations all over the world. There are two common applications that many businesses prefer to use however. The first of which is Strategic Management, and the other one is Operational Control. These applications are similar when it comes to their visual properties and aspects. However, these applications need the support of procedures that are very different from one another. As expected, since these procedures are different in nature, then the results rendered are as different as they can get.
Having a strong background on the balanced scorecard approach is not enough if you want to maximize the use of such for your company. Remember that the world of business is at a very fast pace at this point in time. Thus, it would be of very much benefit to pay attention to updates as they happen in the business world. One of the effective methods here is to take part in a balanced scorecard discussion or forum. When you take part in this forum, you actually get to converse with fellow proprietors and entrepreneurs regarding the approach itself. You can also share whatever thoughts and opinions you have on relevant matters, as well as ask your colleagues any questions that you might have. Remember that the people who take part in such a discussion practice the method itself, so you are guaranteed advice and such that can be charged to personal experience. You just might find a group of people who can greatly help you in implementing the balanced scorecard approach for your own company. The fact that these people are more experienced in using the approach guarantees a safety net of assurance already. You just might not need that much convincing for you yourself would see how practical the implementation of the scorecard is.
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Barbara Brown, PhD asked:
It’s time to sit down and talk to your employees about their performance. If your staff is similar to that of most managers, your employees perform at different levels. Some are high performers, some are average performers, and some are low performers. So you will have different discussions with different employees.
To increase your success at motivating these employees to deliver the kind of performance you want, consider focusing on the “mutual benefits” of performance. That is, tell employees how their performance benefits them and how their performance benefits their organization. Here is what you do:
Before The Performance Discussion:
1. Know at least one professional goal each employee wants to achieve. Consider things like doing different types of work or working with different types of people. Of course, career advancement is something to be considered as well. But don’t overlook things like a desire for personal performance improvement or a desire to see improvements in how work is handled or how employees work together. If your employees continuously talk about things they would like to see improved or changed, these are their professional goals.
This information allows you to remind employees about the “personal benefits” of good performance.
2. Know how each employee’s performance contributes to the achievement of at least one workplace goal: This goal could be for the team, workgroup, office, or department. Make sure employees are aware of the goal you select. If you have to choose a different goal for different employees, fine. You want employees to clearly understand the impact of their performance. So they have to know what you are talking about.
This information allows you to make a direct link between individual contributions and something you AND your employees know “must” be achieved-a workplace goal.
3. Know how the one workplace goal of your team, workgroup, office, or department helps your organization fulfill its mission. If you have a specific mission for your staff or component, use that. If not, use the broader company mission. Review the purpose and other aspects. Every phrase, sentence, or paragraph may not have a direct link to the workplace goal you have chosen, but something in that mission statement will. So focus on that particular behavior or item.
This information allows you to reinforce the value of positive performance by using something you AND your employees can embrace-the workplace mission.
During The Performance Discussion:
1. For high performers, describe how their “continued outstanding performance” will allow them to successfully achieve their professional goal. Also connect this continued performance to the workplace goal and mission.
2. For average performers, describe how “doing a little more” will allow them to have greater success at achieving their professional goal. Additionally, link their elevated performance to the workplace goal and mission.
3. For low performers, describe how “major improvements” can lead to the achievement of their professional goal. Likewise, make the connection between improved performance and the workplace goal and mission.
Employees Want To Know HOW and WHY
If you only focus on HOW you feel during performance discussions, you limit your chances of encouraging continued or improved performance. To increase your opportunities of getting the performance you want, tell employees WHY their performance matters as well. And when you do, make sure your explanations are meaningful. They will be meaningful if you explain how employees’ performance affects the achievement of a professional goal they feel is important; a workplace goal they know is important; and a part of the workplace mission they can embrace.
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]]>It’s time to sit down and talk to your employees about their performance. If your staff is similar to that of most managers, your employees perform at different levels. Some are high performers, some are average performers, and some are low performers. So you will have different discussions with different employees.
To increase your success at motivating these employees to deliver the kind of performance you want, consider focusing on the “mutual benefits” of performance. That is, tell employees how their performance benefits them and how their performance benefits their organization. Here is what you do:
Before The Performance Discussion:
1. Know at least one professional goal each employee wants to achieve. Consider things like doing different types of work or working with different types of people. Of course, career advancement is something to be considered as well. But don’t overlook things like a desire for personal performance improvement or a desire to see improvements in how work is handled or how employees work together. If your employees continuously talk about things they would like to see improved or changed, these are their professional goals.
This information allows you to remind employees about the “personal benefits” of good performance.
2. Know how each employee’s performance contributes to the achievement of at least one workplace goal: This goal could be for the team, workgroup, office, or department. Make sure employees are aware of the goal you select. If you have to choose a different goal for different employees, fine. You want employees to clearly understand the impact of their performance. So they have to know what you are talking about.
This information allows you to make a direct link between individual contributions and something you AND your employees know “must” be achieved-a workplace goal.
3. Know how the one workplace goal of your team, workgroup, office, or department helps your organization fulfill its mission. If you have a specific mission for your staff or component, use that. If not, use the broader company mission. Review the purpose and other aspects. Every phrase, sentence, or paragraph may not have a direct link to the workplace goal you have chosen, but something in that mission statement will. So focus on that particular behavior or item.
This information allows you to reinforce the value of positive performance by using something you AND your employees can embrace-the workplace mission.
During The Performance Discussion:
1. For high performers, describe how their “continued outstanding performance” will allow them to successfully achieve their professional goal. Also connect this continued performance to the workplace goal and mission.
2. For average performers, describe how “doing a little more” will allow them to have greater success at achieving their professional goal. Additionally, link their elevated performance to the workplace goal and mission.
3. For low performers, describe how “major improvements” can lead to the achievement of their professional goal. Likewise, make the connection between improved performance and the workplace goal and mission.
Employees Want To Know HOW and WHY
If you only focus on HOW you feel during performance discussions, you limit your chances of encouraging continued or improved performance. To increase your opportunities of getting the performance you want, tell employees WHY their performance matters as well. And when you do, make sure your explanations are meaningful. They will be meaningful if you explain how employees’ performance affects the achievement of a professional goal they feel is important; a workplace goal they know is important; and a part of the workplace mission they can embrace.
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Himanshu Juneja asked:
]]>A Group Discussion is a collective amalgamation of available information. Each individual in the group is believed d to have a say in the process of communication. A Group discussion is based upon three P’s-Purpose, Planning and Participation. It involves two other components- Leadership and Casualness.
Advantages of Group Discussion
1) The participants have been analyzed during Group Discussions.
2) The participants have been evaluated on key attributes such as communication skills, inter-personal skills, leadership skills, ability to think and express rational thoughts and opinions
3) It is said that two heads are better than one head. Thus, Group discussions are assumed to be better than individual discussion.
Disadvantages of Group Discussion
1) It is based more on elimination rather than selection.
2) Complete and just evaluation of candidates is not possible in short duration of time.
3) It seems more like a fish market at times.
Do’s of Group Discussion
1) The number of participants should be at least two.
2) Criticism of ideas does not take place in a group discussion.
3) Quality of ideas is always significant and stressed upon in a group discussion.
4) More the number of members in a group discussion, more is the information available.
5) The hidden talent and skills of the employees of the organization comes into limelight.
6) At times some new, creative ideas and solutions to the issues are brought up. Group Discussion encourages creative thinking.
Don’ts of Group Discussion
1) It is expensive in terms of money, time, energy and manpower lost.
2) Hasty decisions are hampered.
3) Few expressive, young and assertive members dominate the discussion.
4) At times, the discussions are irrelevant. The focus of the discussion is not clear.
5) Accountability can not be fixed.
6) It should not be time consuming.
Barbara Brown, PhD asked:
Consider this scenario. You have an employee who is constantly complaining about how others communicate. This employee could also benefit from better communication approaches as well (unbeknownst to the employee of course!). You have decided to talk to this employee, but you are unable to offer clear and concise suggestions for improving the situation. While ironic (not being able to communicate about communication), this happens.
If it’s happened to you, one reason might be that you did not enter the discussion with a clear list of performance—improvement behaviors to recommend to the employee. These could range from explaining that the employee needs to engage in more active listening or perhaps she or he needs to do better at asking open—ended questions.
Another reason could be that you did not frame the discussion in way that encouraged the employee to see the value of trying your recommended behaviors. Try getting employees to think about what they “want” from the coworkers they have difficultly communicating with. Do they “want” others to stop being defensive, to listen more, or to just be more cooperative? It’s all about results!
Once you get employees to recognize the results they want, you can offer some behaviors to help them achieve those results. Consider these three hypothetical results and recommended behaviors:
Result 1: One of your employees complains that coworkers are defensive and not cooperative during conversations. Your employee “wants” certain coworkers to be more civil.
Your Recommended Behaviors Might Include:
• Stop using phrases such as ‘you always’ or ‘you never’ when discussing other coworkers’ mistakes.
• Allow coworkers to finish speaking before interrupting.
• When giving feedback, restate key points given by coworkers.
Result 2: One of your employees is responsible for distributing assignments to other coworkers. But these coworkers seem to frequently misunderstand instructions or make unnecessary mistakes. Your employee “wants” coworkers to do a better job of grasping instructions.
Your Recommended Behaviors Might Include:
• Use probing questions such as: 1. How might this task be accomplished quickly? 2. What are some possibilities for accomplishing this?
• Ask the coworker to explain the approach for handling the assignment.
• Give more specific instructions to the coworker by explaining ‘when, where, or how’ something needs to be done. Then ask the coworker to restate the instructions.
Result 3: One of your employees complains that when conflicts occur, they tend to escalate and evolve into discussions about personalities and non-relevant issues. Your employee “wants” disagreements to be more civil.
Your Recommended Behaviors Might Include:
• Address ‘professional issues’ rather than ‘personal issues’ during difficult conversations. Keep the topic on WORK, WORK, WORK!
• Address ‘behaviors’ rather than ‘beliefs’ during difficult conversations. Keep the topic on what the other coworker DID or what the other coworker SAID.
• Address ‘facts’ rather than ‘feelings’ during difficult conversations. Keep the topic on DATA and INFORMATION.
The main point to this process is to move the employee who is doing the complaining away from focusing on what’s wrong with other coworkers to focusing on what she or he wants. An equally important point is to know the kind of behavioral changes you want to recommend. When you approach performance discussions in this manner, you have a much better chance of getting employees to see the value of performance improvement.
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]]>Consider this scenario. You have an employee who is constantly complaining about how others communicate. This employee could also benefit from better communication approaches as well (unbeknownst to the employee of course!). You have decided to talk to this employee, but you are unable to offer clear and concise suggestions for improving the situation. While ironic (not being able to communicate about communication), this happens.
If it’s happened to you, one reason might be that you did not enter the discussion with a clear list of performance—improvement behaviors to recommend to the employee. These could range from explaining that the employee needs to engage in more active listening or perhaps she or he needs to do better at asking open—ended questions.
Another reason could be that you did not frame the discussion in way that encouraged the employee to see the value of trying your recommended behaviors. Try getting employees to think about what they “want” from the coworkers they have difficultly communicating with. Do they “want” others to stop being defensive, to listen more, or to just be more cooperative? It’s all about results!
Once you get employees to recognize the results they want, you can offer some behaviors to help them achieve those results. Consider these three hypothetical results and recommended behaviors:
Result 1: One of your employees complains that coworkers are defensive and not cooperative during conversations. Your employee “wants” certain coworkers to be more civil.
Your Recommended Behaviors Might Include:
• Stop using phrases such as ‘you always’ or ‘you never’ when discussing other coworkers’ mistakes.
• Allow coworkers to finish speaking before interrupting.
• When giving feedback, restate key points given by coworkers.
Result 2: One of your employees is responsible for distributing assignments to other coworkers. But these coworkers seem to frequently misunderstand instructions or make unnecessary mistakes. Your employee “wants” coworkers to do a better job of grasping instructions.
Your Recommended Behaviors Might Include:
• Use probing questions such as: 1. How might this task be accomplished quickly? 2. What are some possibilities for accomplishing this?
• Ask the coworker to explain the approach for handling the assignment.
• Give more specific instructions to the coworker by explaining ‘when, where, or how’ something needs to be done. Then ask the coworker to restate the instructions.
Result 3: One of your employees complains that when conflicts occur, they tend to escalate and evolve into discussions about personalities and non-relevant issues. Your employee “wants” disagreements to be more civil.
Your Recommended Behaviors Might Include:
• Address ‘professional issues’ rather than ‘personal issues’ during difficult conversations. Keep the topic on WORK, WORK, WORK!
• Address ‘behaviors’ rather than ‘beliefs’ during difficult conversations. Keep the topic on what the other coworker DID or what the other coworker SAID.
• Address ‘facts’ rather than ‘feelings’ during difficult conversations. Keep the topic on DATA and INFORMATION.
The main point to this process is to move the employee who is doing the complaining away from focusing on what’s wrong with other coworkers to focusing on what she or he wants. An equally important point is to know the kind of behavioral changes you want to recommend. When you approach performance discussions in this manner, you have a much better chance of getting employees to see the value of performance improvement.
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