DASHBOARD GROUP

Archive for the ‘Performance Management’ Category

The Seven Stages of a Performance Review

In Performance Management on December 5, 2011 at 8:16 am

Many organizations do performance reviews in December.  Most do them very poorly.

So poorly that performance reviews are a frequent subject of the Dilbert cartoon strip.  A few years ago, Scott Adams, Dilbert’s creator, wrote a strip called The Seven Stages of a Performance Review.  In it, the Pointy Haired Boss (who is never actually named) comes over to Alice’s cubicle and announces, “It’s Time.”  (Alice is the woman with the big pointy hair.)

What follows, in Alice’s words, is a far too common occurrence:

  1. Denial – “What, these aren’t even my objectives!’
  2. Anger – “Who said these things about me!”
  3. Bargaining – “What if I make someone write a glowing e-mail about me?”
  4. Depression – “Morale slipping away …”
  5. Acceptance – “Whatever.  There’s no budget for raises anyway.”
  6. Trash-Talking – “Wool-covered pile of ignorant monkey spit.”
  7. Lunch

So, if you are a manager, and you are in the process of writing reviews, please go the extra mile.  Remember, managing people is a sacred trust.  Your people deserve more than a superficial and perfunctory performance review.

You can read the comic for yourself here: http://dilbert.com/strips/comic/2003-06-22/

The Shift Points blog is designed for Fast Lane leaders who want to leave their competitors in the dust.

Shift Your Thinking … Accelerate Your Results.

Thanksgiving

In Employee Engagement, Performance Management on November 21, 2011 at 8:43 am

I recently read some research from Gallup about employee engagement.  Here’s what they reported:

“Seventy-one percent of American workers are “not engaged” or “actively disengaged” in their work, meaning they are emotionally disconnected from their workplaces and are less likely to be productive.”

In my experience, one of the key reasons that employees disengage is that they don’t feel appreciated.

Of course, it is great to recognize and reward top performers with special awards.  However, it is just as important to simply say thank you to the 99% of your employees who did not get recognized.

So, in the spirit of Thanksgiving, perhaps all of you should make a special effort to reach out to your teams.  A simple thank you goes a long way.

The Shift Points blog is designed for Fast Lane leaders who want to leave their competitors in the dust.

Shift Your Thinking…Accelerate Your Results.

Horsepower

In Performance Management, Teamwork on November 14, 2011 at 7:30 am

Normally, I prefer horsepower of the automotive kind.

However, last week, one of our clients had an all-hands meeting that used the story of Secretariat as their theme.  In the process, I learned a great deal about this amazing athlete and the team that helped him win the Triple Crown.  Some of the highlights:

  • The team overcame tremendous obstacles and accomplished what most people said was impossible.
  • The team was comprised of a surprising mix of “has-beens.”
  • The team endured ridicule and an endless stream of naysayers.
  • The team pushed harder than most felt was wise.

Secretariat still holds the track records at The Kentucky Derby and The Belmont.  He was #35 on ESPN’s list of the greatest athletes of the century … ahead of Mickey Mantle!

I think this inspiring story was best summed up by Randall Wallace, the director of the Secretariat movie, “There are capabilities in each of us that are beyond what we think we have… and life is about finding how far you can go, how fast you can run, and you never know until you run.”

High-performance organizations, like Secretariat, have capabilities beyond what they think they have … and they will never know where the limits really are until they align behind a strategy and run.

The Shift Points blog is designed for Fast Lane leaders who want to leave their competitors in the dust.

Shift Your Thinking … Accelerate Your Results.

Top Gear

In Leadership, Performance Management on August 22, 2011 at 7:56 am

Tonight is the season premier of Top Gear, the hilarious car show on BBC. It is, in my totally biased opinion, the best show on television. I can’t wait to see what they come up with this season. (Check it out at www.topgear.com)

Of course, whenever I watch the show, I try to make the connection to organizational performance.

Recently, there has been lots of attention paid to the subject of employee engagement. Dashboard is involved in this work through our relationship with Quantum Workplace and the Best Places to Work awards.

Clearly, we want to engage our employees. But we don’t just want them engaged; we want them engaged in Top Gear.

I often ask people, “Are you performing at the absolute maximum of your potential?”

Of course, most people concede that they aren’t. Why not?

First, leaders put artificial limits on people, and don’t see the unlimited potential they have.

Second, leaders treat everyone the same, and don’t see the amazing uniqueness they were created with.

Finally, leaders create de-motivating environments, and people respond by downshifting and working at a small fraction of their potential.

The Shift Points blog is designed for Fast Lane leaders who want to leave their competitors in the dust.

Shift Your Thinking … Accelerate Your Results.

A Sacred Trust

In Leadership, Performance Management on August 8, 2011 at 8:05 am

Over the course of my career, I have worked for over 25 managers.

A few have been life-changingly horrible. Most have been OK. And a few have been astonishingly great.

The great ones cared about me as a person, not just as an employee. They invested in my development. And they pushed me hard … really hard. And I’ll never forget them.

These select few understood that managing people is a sacred trust. They understood that they had the power to change the lives of the people that worked for them. For better … or worse.

Being a great manager is really hard. Which is why they are so rare.

Step one is to decide that you really, really want to be a great manager. (Surprisingly, a really small percentage of managers take this step.)

Step two is to approach your responsibility as a sacred trust. You must acknowledge the tremendous responsibility that has been entrusted in you. And, you must handle your responsibility with the utmost care.

The Shift Points blog is designed for Fast Lane leaders who want to leave their competitors in the dust.

Shift Your Thinking … Accelerate Your Results.

Ultra Premium

In Leadership, Performance Management, Strategy on August 1, 2011 at 7:39 am

I pulled in to the neighborhood Sunoco to gas up the Porsche this weekend, and was faced with a decision.

Sunoco offers four choices, ranging from 87 octane at $3.80 / gallon to 93 octane at $4.04 / gallon.

My Porsche is a high-performance car, so spending the extra $3.36 on the fill-up was a no-brainer. I would never put low grade fuel in my Porsche. It would impact my ability to get maximum results from this finely tuned machine.

Leaders face this same decision every day.

Their employees “pull in to the station” on a regular basis to get refueled. They have been toiling in the marketplace to overcome obstacles, deliver results, and meet the ever-rising expectations set by their bosses.

Yet, far too often, when it comes to investing in their employees, leaders reach for the low grade fuel. They give the minimum raise that they can get away with. They promise bonuses, but then bicker and renege on paying them. They reward someone who has just delivered a multi-million dollar project with a $5.00 Starbucks card.

Leaders, if you want your people to perform at their best, treat them like Porsches. Fill them with high-octane fuel. Focus on how much you can give, not on how much you can get.

The Shift Points blog is designed for Fast Lane leaders who want to leave their competitors in the dust.

Shift Your Thinking … Accelerate Your Results.

One #One Priority

In Leadership, Performance Management, Strategy on July 5, 2011 at 7:53 am

It seems redundant to say, “One #One Priority,” but many organizations have so many priorities that everything is a priority. Some organizations even have competing, contradictory priorities.

Bill Pollard, the retired chairman of ServiceMaster, was talking with Peter Drucker about priorities in relationship to business. Peter said, “Bill, it wasn’t until the 20th century that we pluralized the word priority. For most of its history, the word has been singular.”

So, if you can only have One Priority, what should it be?

For some organizations, it will be making money. For others, it will be accelerating growth.

However, we advise our clients that their One Priority should focus on people. Perhaps something like, “attracting, developing, deploying, and unleashing the talents of exceptional people.”

In our experience, if you put people first, the profits will follow.

One of our clients has really taken this to heart. They describe this as “Developing Ultimate Teammates” and it has been inspiring to watch this unfold. Stay tuned for more on this exceptional organization.

The Shift Points blog is designed for Fast Lane leaders who want to leave their competitors in the dust.

Shift Your Thinking … Accelerate Your Results.

People-Driven

In Leadership, Performance Management, Strategy on June 27, 2011 at 6:52 am

As we wrote last week, there are many things that can (and do) drive organizations. Perhaps the most common thing we see is organizations that are money-driven. In fact, I know one CEO who literally wakes up in the middle of the night thinking about ways to make more money.

And don’t get me wrong, making money is a good thing. Profits are a good thing. Growth is a good thing.

But as one wise man said, “Money is a great servant, but a lousy master.”

In our experience, the real high-performance organizations are people-driven. They see their investments in recruiting, developing, deploying, and rewarding people as the drive train that creates long-term sustainable profitability.

Thus, profitability and growth are the result of being people-driven. And in virtually every case we have seen, growth plateaus are caused by under-investing in people, not by under-investing in sales and marketing.

The Shift Points blog is designed for Fast Lane leaders who want to leave their competitors in the dust.

Shift Your Thinking … Accelerate Your Results.

The Pit Stop

In Leadership, Performance Management, Strategy on October 4, 2010 at 9:00 am

High-growth organizations have the pedal to the metal.  They are running flat-out.  Competing.  Winning.

But every team needs to come into the pits occasionally to refuel, recharge, and refocus. 

Most leadership teams have an off-site to get away and focus on strategic issues.  They are designed to generate new thinking, but often fall short.  Most simply document a list of ideas on flip charts that rarely turn into real action plans.  The organization ends up off-course, off-track, and often a bit demoralized.

Why?  Because although the off-site is a really important part of the company’s planning cycle, none of the executives has the time to prepare and ensure a great meeting.

So, perhaps you should consider an outside facilitator to ensure that your meeting is successful.

The Dashboard Group developed The Pit Stop program specifically for fast-lane leaders of high-growth organizations.  It is a comprehensive, yet highly efficient way for organizations to assess their performance, refine their strategy, and accelerate their results.

Drop us a line … we would love to talk with you about your off-site.

The Shift Points blog is designed for Fast Lane leaders who want to leave their competitors in the dust. 

Shift Your Thinking … Accelerate Your Results.

Underperformance Management – Part 2

In Performance Management on July 26, 2010 at 12:39 pm

Awhile back, I came to know an executive with an unusually detached leadership style.  He ran the organization from afar, very insulated from the day-to-day.

One of the more peculiar processes in the organization was that this executive was the final interview for all key hires.  It was not really an interview, but a lecture about “what will get you fired here.”

I always advise leaders that, above all, they must be clear.  Clear about the strategy.  Clear about the values, and yes, even clear about what gets you fired.

So, leaders must define the standards of performance, and confront those who are not meeting it.  But in order for that process to work, the leaders must do the proper diagnostic.  They must determine WHY this person is underperforming.   There are many reasons why people underperform.  Let’s look at a few of them:

1.       The person is lazy and simply has no work ethic or motivation.  This is an easy decision.

2.       The person is in the wrong job.  This is a bit trickier.  Assess their potential contribution and explore the possibility of moving them to a different role – one that leverages their strengths.  I have seen people with one foot out the door become stars after the organization took the time to understand their strengths.

3.       There is bad chemistry with the manager.  Assuming that the person is a potential contributor, explore the possibility of transferring them to a different manager.  I have seen this make a huge difference, and have even experienced this myself.  I got a new boss … became a new man, and got promoted three times in the next year.

So, if you have someone who is not performing, do the diagnostic.  Understand the root causes of their underperformance.  Put an action plan in place to address them.  Maybe they will surprise you.

The Shift Points blog is designed for Fast Lane leaders who want to leave their competitors in the dust.

Shift Your Thinking … Accelerate Your Results.

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