Armstrong and Baron in Managing
Performance: Performance Management in Action (2004)
define Managing Performance as "a process which contributes to
the effective management of individuals and teams in order to
achieve high levels of organisational
performance".
We've found that a lot of line managers
think that Managing Performance is simply about conducting an
annual appraisal with each team member, and if they've done
that, they've done their job.
We believe that those managers are
overlooking a potentially huge number of opportunities for
improving the performance of their people. And we're not
talking about spending money or even a great deal of
time.
We've noticed that the managers who get
the best performance from their people are those who regularly
spend quality one-to-one time with them discussing performance
issues. They don't leave it to the six-monthly or annual
review. Talking about performance becomes a regular part of
their conversation with team members.
The more successful managers sit down
with their direct reports on a one-to-one basis once every few
days to give them effective feedback on their performance. And
giving effective feedback means giving them exact examples of both
positive and negative performance.
The effectiveness of that feedback
depends on how accurate and detailed it is. The problem is:
How can a busy manager carry all that information in their
head?
There is a simple low-tech solution - a
notebook with a section on each team member in which the
manager records examples of positive and negative performance
as it
happens.
It's important not to overlook the
positives. It's always good to give ten times more positive
feedback than negative - because it is so often the negative
feedback that sticks.
As a busy line manager, I hear you
complain "I can't afford the time for all
this!"
Can you afford not to? After all your
success is measured by the performance of your
team.
