DASHBOARD GROUP

Archive for the ‘Performance Management’ Category

Give Them Saturday Off

In Leadership, Performance Management on May 14, 2012 at 7:58 am

A few weeks ago, on April 25, 2012, the International Association of Administrative Professionals marked the 60th anniversary of Administrative Professionals Day®.

This recognition has gone through several name changes during the past 60 years. It began as National Secretaries Week in 1952. The name was changed to Professional Secretaries Week in 1981, and became Administrative Professionals Week in 2000.

Regardless of what you call it, celebrating and recognizing the contributions of the administrative professionals in your organization is important.

Awhile back, I was in a meeting where an executive team was discussing what the organization should do for their administrative team on Administrative Professionals Day. The senior executive said something I’ll never forget:

“Give them Saturday off.”

Of course, they already got Saturday off. So, this leader was sending a clear message.

This organization had the most talented and committed team of administrative professionals I had ever seen. Virtually all of them had college degrees. Some had master’s degrees. They routinely went above and beyond the call of duty, often refusing to record their overtime.

Just don’t ask me why.

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.

Goodwill Write-Down

In Employee Engagement, Leadership, Performance Management on April 30, 2012 at 8:21 am

In today’s economy, many organizations have taken the perspective that “Our employees should stop complaining. They are lucky to even have a job.”

These organizations have used the bad economy as an excuse for lots of misguided management actions, such as:

  • Reducing management communications, especially when it comes to discussing poor financial results or layoffs.
  • Throwing temper tantrums, such as AN E-MAIL RANT IN ALL CAPS SENT BY THE CEO WHO IS PISSED-OFF.
  • Eliminating recognition, even though their people are often doing two or three jobs because of layoffs.

When the economy recovers, these organizations will discover a new meaning of the accounting term, “goodwill write-down.”

In accounting, firms write-down goodwill for the reduced value of “impaired assets.”

In organizations, many leaders will say that their people are their “most important asset.” However, many have behaved so poorly that they have destroyed the goodwill of their people.

Their write-down will come in the form of reduced employee engagement, reduced retentions, difficulty in attracting new talent, etc.

Accountants have difficulty reporting these kinds of things on the income statement.

But trust us, it shows up on the bottom line.

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 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.

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