Overview:

The performance conversations method is designed to provide feedback, not appraisal. This approach provides real time information that the employee can use to make adjustments to their work so that fewer corrections are necessary.

The three ingredients to successful outcomes are feedback, accountability, and growth. Using this method, the manager becomes a coach who spurs on the performance of subordinates by giving the right information, direction, and support they need to do their very best work. This approach is necessary with today's knowledge workers who are fully capable of producing good outcomes, but benefit from leadership and support that helps them take action in the best possible manner. The employee and manager form a performance partnership and jointly agree on the performance targets and the actions necessary to achieve them. Using a simple but effective protocol and checkpoints along the way, the manager is assured that the employee is progressing as planned and the employees always knows whether they are on-track to produce the right kind of results. Use performance conversations instead of the negative performance confrontations that occur at annual appraisals is a 21st century way of working with employees. Day-to-day supervision, ongoing feedback sessions, and periodic formal discussions are combined into an integrated management model that is simpler, more effective and less time consuming. The secret ingredient to successful performance management is employee involvement in defining, tracking, and measuring the success of the work involved. The performance conversations approach empowers employees to take ownership of their work. This produces increased satisfaction, more engagement, and greater retention. Employees become partners who are invested in their own success. This shared responsibility for outcomes makes supervision easier and it encourages employees to grow professionally. The focus is always on performance improvement, not on the past--which cannot be changed. Traditional appraisals spend too much time and energy looking backwards, which is counter productive.

Why should you attend: Most employees hate appraisals and managers tend to dislike them even more. The annual bloodletting ritual called evaluations is designed to find one's faults and shortcomings in a vieled attempt to encourage improved performance. This negative interaction destroys morale and hurts productivity. Learn a 21st-century approach to performance management that emphasizes the positives and brings out the best in employees instead of attempting to try to uncover weakness. It is designed to build upon strengths. Employees get engaged in their work, take ownership, and have pride in their outcomes. The cycle of continuous improvement ensues. Managers do not have to worry about employee reactions and fear that their performance will spiral down after a review session when it is conducted the right way, under the right conditions, using the right technique. Traditional appraisals are an outdated approach to productivity. The performance conversations approach is productivity improvement methodology. Appraisal ratings are often too subjective and are the source of disagreement, debate, and sometimes anger. Employees look at their rating and are sometimes confused about how the ratings were determined. Ratings summaries over an entire year do not provide enough information about the specific actions that were performed best or worst. Ratings are not always fairly applied across positions or departments and they apply only to the specific performance dimensions listed on the appraisal form. They ignore all of the other performance variables that might be important, but are not covered on the appraisal instrument. Ratings are useful for documentation, but do not help with performance improvement.

Areas Covered in the Session:

• Performance Management
  
• How to Give Feedback
  
• Coaching
  
• Counseling
  
• How to handle personnel problems
  
• How to improve performance of subpar employees
  
• How to define good performance
  
• How to develop employee potential

Who Will Benefit:

• Managers
  
• Supervisors
  
• HR Managers
  
• Directors
  
• Coordinators
  
• Vice Presidents