Managing the Performance of your Team
/Managing performance is all about working with staff to enable them to contribute to the goals of the team and the business. It involves setting specific targets and tasks and holding people accountable. It is often one of the issues that managers find hardest to deal with and can be the most exhausting.
Many of us would prefer to avoid the potential confrontation that can arise when we talk with people about issues of performance, attitude, behaviour, capability, conduct etc. The ‘head in the sand’ approach is very popular! We hope the problem will go away. In reality, it tends to get worse and then takes longer to resolve. The business suffers. Team morale is often affected too as others in the team get frustrated because one person is ‘allowed to get away with it’ while they are busy working hard.
Setting clear expectations of the standards required for performance and behaviour is essential. There are effective ways of doing this so that people are held accountable. This gives you and the staff member specific, measurable goals and timescales for tasks to be achieved. It avoids ambiguity and makes the process more transparent. It can also help identify potential reasons for underperformance, what training / support etc may be needed and sets timescales for improvement. This helps everyone in the long run and moves the process forward.
Dealing with negative attitudes and poor behaviour are also issues many managers are unsure how to handle. We can show you how to do this too.
As managers we may not find this subject easy, but by learning the tools to manage performance we can develop confidence to do so effectively. Our Managing Performance course covers all you need to know:
- What is performance management?
- Dealing effectively with poor attitude and behaviour
- Setting expectations for performance
- SMART tasks / objectives to ensure accountability
- Using a range of feedback models
- How to manage poor performance
- Using a formal disciplinary procedure
- Preparing for a performance related conversations
- Practical skills practice
- Action planning on your own performance management scenario