Leadership First: Sprinkle performance advice throughout year

Dear P.A.: Ideally, there should never be a surprise on an employee’s performance review. Effective managers provide feedback between reviews. The best practice is to hold an informal monthly or quarterly meeting where you engage your employee in honest, open exchange. Try asking questions such as, what have you learned? What would you like to learn next? Or, what’s the next job you want to grow into? Ask about any challenges or successes they want you to be aware of. These informal reviews will build a more positive relationship and improve communications with your employee. An effective performance evaluation will end in a learning plan incorporating the employee’s feedback on what they are going to work on or improve, and what you or the company can do to make it a more rewarding work experience.

The purpose for performance evaluation is threefold. No. 1: legal reasons such as promotions, demotions, raises, terminations and so forth. An attorney should be consulted regarding performance reviews in today’s litigious culture. No. 2: improved individual performance. No. 3: optimum levels of the organization’s performance. When a performance appraisal process is successfully implemented, it is a highly effective tool which can help increase employee motivation, decrease turnover, improve communications and bring underperformers around before you have to fire them.

Dear Mark: How can I be positive and appreciative in my organization but still acknowledge problems and give constructive criticism? —R.D.

Dear R.D.: No. 1, use the 5-1 ratio of good news to bad news. Speak truthfully and candidly, but spread it out. People cannot take someone who constantly focuses on criticism or the negatives. No. 2, begin looking for the things that are going right or good around you. If we look for the good, we will see the good in others and in our circumstances. Companies and individuals have their warts, but they also have plenty of positives in a balanced viewpoint. No. 3, use carefully chosen words and emotion when giving negative feedback. Focusing on problems or criticisms for too long drags down everyone. Try using 80 percent of your communications to focus on the solutions and 20 percent on the problems. People will begin to see you as helpful instead of critical, and you will develop a reputation as a problem-solver instead of a fault-finder. No. 4, ask permission before you give negative feedback. Timing is an important factor in having others remain open-minded to our criticism or honest concerns. Learn first if it is a good time for them to discuss it, and if it is not, come back later.

Dear Mark: How often is positive reinforcement needed? —J.R.B.

Dear J.R.B.: People have varying levels of needed praise. It is pretty easy to read if you watch for things like how they respond when you give a compliment or recognize them in front of peers. Look for body language and facial expressions like smiling, laughing or getting a little embarrassed. One of my former employees even shed a few tears because she was so touched by my writing her a thank you card. However, if praise is not an especially important factor for their self-esteem, then you may see them shrug off your praise, quickly change the subject or become noticeably uncomfortable. Be sensitive to each person’s own needs, and adjust accordingly. From a generational standpoint, every manager needs to be aware that today’s Millennial (Gen Y) employee does in general look for more praise than previous generations. It is better to give too much praise than too little.

As owner of Springfield-based Consultant Board Inc., Mark Holmes consults and speaks nationally on increasing employee and customer retention and improving employee performance. His ideas have been featured in the Wall Street Journal and on Fox Business Network. He can be reached at mholmes@thepeoplekeeper.com.

Workplace Solutions

These questions were generated during the March 7 Leadership First Friday on the book, “Retiring the Generation Gap.”

Join in on workplace conversations with Mark Holmes during monthly Leadership First Friday lunch discussions covering workplace topics and business books. The next Leadership First Friday – 11:30 a.m.–1 p.m. April 4 at Great Southern Bank’s Operations Center, 218 S. Glenstone Ave. – covers “Primal Leadership: Learning to Lead with Emotional Intelligence.”

Send your workplace questions to sbj@sbj.net, and purchase luncheon tickets at sbj.net or call (417) 831-3238.