It has been the practice of all larger organisations, and many mid-size or smaller as well, to establish company policies and programmes against which to measure the performance and growth of their employees. There are levels of complexity that range from straight employee assessment against management-defined expectations to 360-degree feedback programmes that strive to look at performance from peer and direct report perspectives, as well as through the eyes of the superior. Defining clear expectations is probably one of the hardest aspects of all because it takes a conscientious manager and an engaged employee to work together to define SMART objectives. The next most difficult aspect is ensuring that a company performance management discussion is not a once-a-year event...   more »

Conducting performance appraisals take both the right attitude and the right approach. Primarily you should make sure you are clear about what the appraisal is supposed to achieve. In most circumstances performance appraisals are used to meet the needs of the organisation and the individual in two areas: review of the individual's performance against objectives of the year that has just ended and make plans, set objectives and objectives, for the next year.   more »

SMART Objective writing is one of the skills that most managers, therefore most businesses and organisations, are not so great at....   more »

I worked last year for a company who had a difficult manager - and provides a great case study. He was difficult for the Directors of the business to manage whilst at the same time being a very difficult person to be managed by. Indeed the atmosphere he often created was so intense, some people could not take it - including the HR Manager, who called for my help.   more »

This week I ran a training programme with a group of Senior Managers. One manager in the group had been in post for about six months and during that time she received criticism for her management style in the form of negative 360 degree feedback. The problem that was uncovered in her 360 feedback was that she gave a lack of direction. She was bewildered by this feedback because, in her view, she was giving her direct reports rather constant attention.   more »

How a person communicates also is an indication of how they think, and vice versa. You've likely heard people referred to as either 'right brained' or 'left brained.' These labels refer to something called hemispheric dominance ... meaning that one or the other of the primary hemispheres of the brain is predominant, signified by the way in which people learn and their preferences in a variety of activities, including communication. There are no absolutes here and both hemispheres of the brain are involved in just about every human activity. However, brain research has confirmed that people for whom the left side of the brain is dominant tend to process information in a linear, sequential and structured manner. They are often described as analytical and methodical, less emotional, and, sometimes, coldly logical. Their learning style is demonstrated by what is called a Reflector or Theorist learning style — they will want to see an agenda, they like logic sequencing and detail, and they will be organized and methodical. They often work from A to Z.   more »

What is happening inside organisations that have high absentee costs? Unless you live in a country that has experienced a global phenomenon, like a hurricane or tsunami, high absenteeism is not normal. The BBC reported in its Online Business Reporter that absenteeism had reached over 40 million days annually, and of those 13.4 million were due to stress, anxiety and depression. The absentee cost reported was a staggering ₤11.5bn. Framed another way in a study by the UK Labour Force Survey, the absentee rate in the UK hovered just above 3% during a recent 18-year period.   more »

It's true: relevant performance management programmes that serve an organisation as both a compass and roadmap to excellence require managers to believe in them and to accept the responsibility to exercise the discipline required to make them work. I believe it has to begin at the top. A Managing Director who disregards the guidelines of the company's performance management system sets the pace. It is his practice of negligence and his cavalier attitude about the “rules of the game” that can make or break a performance management programme. Here are the principles I work with my clients to adopt when they set up an initial performance management programme or attempt to resurrect one that has broken down out of neglect and misuse.   more »

The concept of managing performance by establishing and working toward the achievement of objectives was introduced in the mid-1950s and has been used in performance appraisal and review practices in various forms since then   more »

It has been the practice of all larger organisations, and many mid-size or smaller as well, to establish company policies and programmes against which to measure the performance and growth of their employees. There are levels of complexity that range from straight employee assessment against management-defined expectations to 360-degree feedback programmes that strive to look at performance from peer and direct report perspectives, as well as through the eyes of the superior.   more »

What's a Lemon? The concept of a business Lemon is the opposite of that of a Monkey. While a monkey signifies the loss of discretionary time and the negative behaviour associated with taking on inappropriate responsibility for direct report's initiative for action, a Lemon has zest and is symbolic of energy, enthusiasm, confidence, a willingness to learn, a readiness to act and a positive attitude. Any manager who exhibits Lemon attributes leads    more »

Monkey Syndrome: The More You Get Rid Of Your People's Monkeys, The More Time You Have For Your People ... William Oncken, Jr. A “Monkey” is the NEXT MOVE ... a symbol of the action to be taken to move a project forward, solve the problem or set future direction. William Oncken introduced the idea of the Monkey Syndrome in his classic Harvard Business Review article, published in 1974. “Managing Management Time: Who's Got the Monkey?” has become a timeless lesson for leaders and managers in how not to take on the responsibilities of your employee's problems.    more »

New book shows how being a successful manager means turning monkeys into lemons Zest, energy, enthusiasm, confidence: when managers and employees are lemons they, and their organisations, are high performing, effective and empowered. Lee Gilbert, leading HR and management consultant, has distilled his experience from working with some of Britain's leading companies, and come up with a fool-proof formula for people management success. Gilbert calls it Turning Monkeys into Lemons.    more »

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