EFFECTIVE PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT

In this seminar you'll learn...

What happens when you focus on performance planning and communication—instead of just an annual appraisal?

Setting clear expectations—you won´t believe the difference this makes in productivity

Why communicating with employees regularly and positively is the most important thing you can do to support their success

When employees fail: How to uncover the hidden reasons and avoid the damage caused by jumping to wrong conclusions

And much more

Of all the things that challenge you in your job as a manager, trying to get the best performance from each employee—every day—is probably THE toughest challenge you must tackle. Annual performance appraisals don´t seem to bring about any lasting behavior change, do they? This new seminar introduces you to a faster, easier and more effective approach to managing daily performance. Performance management is about planning performance, diagnosing the causes of problems, communicating frequently, reinforcing good behavior—and creating a work environment where employees can improve and succeed.

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Program hours: 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Performance Management: What is it? Creating an environment that builds employee commitment and performance and more ...

What exactly is performance management? How is it different from the annual performance review disliked by so many managers and employees? How does it fit in with other processes in your workplace? This overview session will arm you with a basic understanding of performance management, its components and the short- and longterm payoffs. You´ll gain a solid grasp of the why´s and "how-to´s" of performance management and how to use them to create a work environment where achieving your company´s objectives is not just your job, but everybody´s job.

What performance management is—and is not

A snapshot of key management activities and why you need to do all of them correctly

Providing what your organization—and your employees—want and need from performance management

Eliminating "I´m too busy" and other common excuses for not doing performance management

What happens when you start focusing on performance planning and communication—instead of the dreaded annual performance review

The basic components of a performance management system and how to fit them together to maximize the benefits

How to educate your employees and prepare them to work with you

How to make performance management work in your environment—even if your company is still managing "the old way"

The right set of interpersonal skills will speed you to success—do you have them?

Performance Management Foundation 1: Clearly define employee job duties and your expectations

Employees thrive when they know exactly what is expected of them and why their jobs matter to the organization. In this crucial session, you´ll learn how to develop clear job responsibilities and expectations that set employees up for success and minimize reasons for dissatisfaction. Find out how to communicate your expectations to employees so they know exactly what needs to be done, when and why. Plus, get tips for performance planning and how to get employees off to a running start.

The awesome power of employee goals that are aligned with your company´s objectives

Avoiding a top reason why employees fail: Not understanding what it is they´re supposed to do

Defining the job—this is where the performance management process begins

How to set daily, monthly and yearly goals that reveal where—and how much—improvement is needed

The tough part: Developing standards of performance that will tell you if the employee has succeeded

How to cement your staff´s commitment by helping them understand how their contributions—big and small—really do make a difference

What you need to accomplish in the initial performance planning meeting with an employee

How to define—in concrete terms—"success" in your company and how employees can achieve it

Performance Management Foundation 2: Communicate with employees frequently and constructively

Employees are not wind-up toys. You can´t sit down in a meeting, tell them what their job is and then send them off. This session explains how you must observe and monitor employee performance throughout the year, give regular feedback on what´s going right and keep communication flowing back and forth. Learn how to use informal talks, quarterly discussions, once-a-year reviews—a variety of techniques—to make sure employees have the information they need to do their jobs while making it easy for you catch problems early, before they become big problems.

Communicate ... communicate ... communicate: Why this is 95% of your job as a performance manager

Using the many different communication options and formats—both formal and informal—available to you

How to communicate improvement "advice" just as you would praise and thanks

How managers shut out employee feedback without even realizing it

5 guidelines for discussing performance problems without blaming, intimidating or interrogating the employee

Where the required annual performance review fits in (when you practice performance management all year, reviews are a breeze)

The power of having quick, how´s-it-going talks with employees every day ... throughout the day

How to conduct group meetings so you´re not the one doing all the talking

The pros and cons of written status reports—are they a waste of time and paper or not?

Performance Management Foundation 3: Reward employees for the right behaviors

Motivating employees should be a top priority for any manager. And giving rewards when employees meet expected performance standards is one of the most effective ways to keep employees charging ahead. In this session, you´ll discover which rewards—monetary and otherwise—are most effective and how to use them to reinforce the right behaviors. We´ll also discuss employee development and how to give assignments that introduce new skills and higher levels of responsibility so employees arrive at work raring to go.

How to challenge each employee—including poor performers and high achievers

You get what you reward—how understanding this law of behavior can transform the results you get as a manager

7 practical things any manager can do—regardless of budget—to make employees feel valued and recognized for their contributions

How to make recognition a natural part of your job—no matter how busy you are or how awkward you feel

Accomplishments you may never think about rewarding—but should

Employee development IS part of your job—4 tactics for helping employees grow in their jobs and careers

Cash, time off, a simple thank-you—what really works?

How can you use rewards to empower staff? Some of the best advice you´ll ever get

Performance Management Foundation 4: Diagnose and address the real causes of performance failure

What should be done when performance expectations are not being met? In a performance management world, there´s no blaming, no punishing and no automatically assuming it´s the individual´s fault. This session will map out a new, constructive process for identifying the causes of poor performance so they can be eliminated quickly. Don´t miss this opportunity to learn how to consider the multiple causes of problems, work with employees to create a solution and formulate an action plan to prevent re-occurrences.

Tardiness, mistakes, absenteeism, procrastination—5 questions that´ll get to the bottom of what´s really going on with an employee

Performance management is all about getting employees to take responsibility for their own improvement and job satisfaction—how to make that happen

How the lunchroom is often the best place to detect early difficulties employees may be having

How to approach a poor performer with facts—not emotions

How to focus on the future—instead of raking an employee over the coals for a past failure

Discipline: How it´s different—and more likely to produce a positive outcome—in a performance management world

The single most powerful question you can ask to turn a problem performer around—on the spot

Could your work system be causing an employee to fail?

Mediocre employees: Should you invest in their performance? Or move them out of the way?

No surprises—how this phrase takes on new meaning when managing daily performance

Performance Management Tools: Save time and get better results faster by using the right tools

Do you feel you´re so focused on your day-to-day responsibilities you don´t have time for performance management? Do yourself a big favor—don´t miss this session. It´s packed with practical and ready-to-use performance management tools that will save you loads of time and give a big boost to your confidence. Use the worksheets, forms and processes provided here just as they are. Or tailor them to suit your own unique needs. Either way, they´ll help you solve problems like these:

My employees don´t understand why their jobs matter. Draw a clear "big picture" and show where they fit in it using the Employee Professional Development Template.

A problem employee hasn´t really committed to improving. Tap into the power of a well-planned Performance Improvement Plan reinforced with your positive support.

Am I doing the right things to make performance management work? Follow this Critical Success Factors Checklist to get and stay on track.

I don´t have time to track the professional development of every employee. You do now, with the easy and fast Professional and Career Growth Worksheet.

Beyond perfect attendance, what else should I reward? Our Developing a Recognition System Form will expand your thinking faster than anything.

How am I doing so far? Rate your organization or work group in 10 essential areas using a simple Performance Management Scorecard.

What do I do and in what order to get going with performance management? Follow the Manager´s Prioritized Implementation Plan to identify when each tactic should begin—and kick-start your success.

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