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Archive for the ‘performance’ Category
Wednesday, October 27th, 2010
 My daughter is preparing to run her third marathon this fall. A person preparing for a marathon – or any race for that matter – must make the necessary efforts and sacrifices in order to cross the finish line. I have observed some of her sacrifices and am impressed by her dedication in getting up earlier, spending time pounding the pavement to her get her mileage in, and monitoring the amounts and the types of food she puts into her body for necessary fuel. She makes all of these commitments just so she can say she finished the race.
I get enjoyment in cycling. One phenomenon I have observed in myself is that I become more dedicated in my riding when I use an odometer. As I use this tool to track time, speed, distance, calories burned, and even my heart rate, I am inspired to push a little harder and a little longer.
Why is someone willing to put so much time, so much energy, and so much effort into an accomplishment they are not being compensated for – finishing that marathon, completing the miles on the biking course, etc.? In many cases, individuals actually pay for just the opportunity to be involved in the activity – the entrance fee, the cost of the bike, and so on. There are six key factors to making someone motivated in to sacrifice.
1. The initiative must be well-defined and have a definite opportunity for all that are affected
2. There needs to be a well-prepared strategy that includes implementation plans and appropriate resources
3. There must have been effective communication plan so all stakeholders understand the “what,” “how,” and “why” of the initiative
4. There needs to be buy-in (personal ownership) from all, along with appropriate incentives
5. An aggressive action and sustainability plan should be put in place
6. There must be a feedback mechanism for measuring results
While all these steps are critical; the last step provides the most significant internal motivator for people to be push a bit harder, to make a commitment to keep going when the environment seems against them. The goal must be one put forth the necessary efforts. Oddly enough, the goal a person is willing to makes sacrifices to achieve must be one that he or she has actively participated in setting. It also must be a goal that can be monitored and attained by following a measurement tool that can arouse a sense of accomplishment and triumph.
When was the last time you asked an employee what motivates him or her? When was the last time you concentrated on and made reference to the positive effects an employee has in the organization? Do you have a measurement system in place that team members can tangibly see positive effects?
Here is the payoff for you, the employer. When your employees are empowered, are involved in an effective measuring system, the likelihood of your organization achieving its goals – or even exceeding them – is astounding. Not only will you see your employees committed to your success, you will see an increase in accountability and productivity all of which adds significantly to your bottom line. The focus then is on leadership that gets results and not just on managing people.
What motivates you to do a marathon, or cycle, or tackle the big things in life? Add to our 6 point bullet list.
Tags: leadership, leadership that gets result, productivity, Strategic leadership development, Worker productivity
Posted in accountability, motivation, performance, productivity | No Comments »
Monday, September 27th, 2010
Okay, we just closed out another quarter in business business year. Sometime early this year, you hopefully took time to set some S.M.A.R.T. business goals, such as to help the company achieve its yearly objectives. You wanted to make sure your contribution to the bottom line would make a difference and stand out from the crowd.
So, when was the last time you looked at those goals? Have you met any of the milestones that you had set up? Are you on track to meeting those goals? What needs to be done between now and your next performance review to be on target to meeting those goals? Are you taking advantage of the various business opportunities that have come your way?
As you know, today’s increasingly competitive business climate demands that we maximize each and every business opportunity. Energetically work to ensure goals are met. Unfortunately we just seem to focus on narrowly defined opportunities, responding to challenges and opportunities within a specific business sector. Important? Yes, but at times, these challenges and narrow opportunities often take us in a direction that is away from the specific goals we have set up.
You may not want to be tied firmly to a specific goal when an opportunity presents itself. But by applying a consistent approach as one assesses these opportunities, then develops strategies, and execute plans to address them, one can drive performance for their products and services to levels never before achieved; making a significant contribution to the company’s bottom line; improving relationships with customers and increasing your value to the organization.
 There is a six-step approach that one can follow so as to identify, assess, and maximize business opportunities and still keep specific goals in front of you. You set them, now let’s make sure you achieve your goals. As you review the six-step approach for success, note your response to the thought provoking questions.
1. Identify and Quantify Opportunity
a. What is the opportunity or challenge?
b. Can the opportunity be quantified? If so, what is the potential?
2. Develop Strategy
a. What is the primary strategy to leverage the opportunity?
b. What resources are needed?
c. Who are the primary stakeholders, and what are their roles and responsibilities?
3. Communicate Strategy to Stakeholders
a. How was the opportunity and corresponding strategy introduced to the stakeholders?
b. How are ongoing updates and progress reports communicated to stakeholders?
4. Incent/Ensure Accountability
a. How is consensus developed?
b. How are internal stakeholders motivated?
c. How is accountability maintained?
5. Implement Program
a. What is the implementation plan?
b. What are the key action items/deliverables for each stakeholder?
c. Who is tracking the program’s progress?
6. Provide Feedback
a. How is success measured?
b. Did the program meet its objectives?
c. What can be shared from this experience?
As you follow this six-step approach you to can maximize your business opportunities, achieve your goals and make a significant contribution to your organizations BOTTOM LINE!
Tags: bottom line leadership, bottom line performance, Leading for bottom line results, S.M.A.R.T. Goals Help To Improve Productivity, S.M.A.R.T. Goals Help To Improve Productivity - Smart G, smart business goals
Posted in bottom line performance, bottom line results, goals & goal setting, performance | No Comments »
Wednesday, September 8th, 2010
“When performance is measured, performance improves; when performance is measured and reported back, the rate of improvement accelerates.” –Thomas S. Monson
While working in the publishing industry Thomas S. Monson discovered that when workers were kept in the dark about their job performance they frequently became average performers, and for some workers less than average. But when workers were provided timely, relevant, and easy to understand information about their performance, many became superior performers.
 As Marshall Sashkin explained in his book Performance Appraisal, annual performance appraisals can actually be a disincentive or de-motivator, rather than the panacea they are often held up to be. Sashkin observed that when workers’ performance is only “reported back” annually, they often become suspicious and distrustful of the entire measurement and reporting system. In a private conversation Sashkin once observed, “A manager would be better off with no appraisal than only an annual appraisal, because from a performance perspective being in the dark might be preferable than being surprised, shocked, disappointed, or even angry.”
Monson’s quote has been used for decades to explain why workers become more motivated when they are told how well they are performing. The trick in management is finding appropriate methods to not only measure, but also “report back” employee performance. Regrettably, left to their own devices, far too many managers give either vague or critical feedback on workers’ performance. And when the majority of feedback workers receive is unsupportive, untimely, unspecific, and uncalled for, the result can be poor performance at the best, or trouble performance at the worst.
Formal evaluations, such as performance appraisals, often measure job positions in subjective terms, such as, “Meets Job Requirements.” In today’s business climate do you really want an employee who merely meets expectations, or do you want an employee who smashes beyond “Meets” and consistently hits homeruns?
One of the reasons why annual performance appraisals can create more angst among employees than motivation is the subjective nature of the categories in which employees are measured. Workers’ performance must be thought of as scorekeeping, not as a measurement. We measure something to see what is wrong; we keep a scorecard to track what is correct. When employee performance is tracked with a scorecard that visually displays what went correct, the employee can connect his or her behavior with what is needed to win. By contrast, when employee performance is measured to find what went wrong, the employee may or may not be able to connect behavior with results.
Creating a scorecard system to “report back” performance must include ten essential characteristics.
1. The employee must have psychological ownership of his or her scorecards. People believe and trust what they own, not necessarily what is imposed upon them.
2. Scorecards must be based on specific measurable results for which that employee is paid. Traditional job descriptions are constructed with generalities that don’t include specific measurable results.
3. Scorecards must be posted near the employee’s work area. Scorecards place bottom line performance at front of mind awareness, not something that is discussed infrequently, or even annually.
4. Scorecards must be updated by the employee every day, or at the least every week. Scoreboards in stadiums are updated each time the score changes; likewise, scorecards must be updated as frequently as is practical.
5. Scorecards must include an agreed upon performance line. The performance line tells the employee how he or she is doing against an agreed upon standard.
6. Scorecards must include an agreed upon goal line. The goal line tells the employee when superior performance has been achieved and celebration is deserved.
7. Scorecards must include a way for the employee to compare his or her performance against past performance. An employee must be able to see in a glance how he or she is doing now verses yesterday, last week, or last month.
8. When a scorecard shows performance below a performance line, an action plan must be connected to the scorecard. An action plan is necessary for performance below the performance line, and it is optional when performance is above the line.
9. The employee’s coach must pay attention to scorecards and give daily, or at the least weekly, feedback and coaching. Scorecards must become the reason for coaching: supportive coaching for good performance, and corrective coaching for substandard performance.
10. The employee must feel a sense of celebration when his or her scorecard performance exceeds the goal. A goal achieved is worthy of celebration by the employee, coach, and possibly the entire team.
“When performance is measured [with effective individual scorecards], performance improves [because they become an incredibly strong motivational force]; when performance is reported back [through scorecards that adhere to the ten principles described above], performance accelerates. [Employees tap into discretionary performance when they believe their performance is being scored fairly and will make a difference].”
Tags: annual performance appraisal, balanced scorecard, employee performance, employee performance appraisal, live scorecard, scorecard
Posted in accountability, bottom line leadership, bottom line performance, bottom line results, performance, productivity, results based leadership, score keeping, scorecard, scorekeeping | No Comments »
Monday, August 23rd, 2010
The game of golf continues to grow in popularity. I personally enjoy the game and try to play often. I love competing against myself and the game makes me be better both physically and mentally. Whether I play it on my own or with someone else, I always find a motivator to make me want to do my best. I track my effectiveness on a scorecard provided by the clubhouse. It lets me know how well I’m doing.
Some scorecards are very detailed and can inform you about the unique design of the course and about each hole so that each golfer can play to their own abilities. Scorecards in golf provide a lot of beneficial information. The score is the ultimate measurement of your ability as a golfer, but that is just the beginning. I have also seen golfers use score keeping to track not only their score, but track every single stroke they make. The serious golfers track the tee-shots ended in the fairway, how often they reach the green in regulation, how close to the hole their “approach shot” lands, and how many putt’s they make on each hole. There is plenty more, but the purpose is to evaluate and improve their game.
In the exact same way that scorecards are used in golf, they can be used in business – to improve your game! A personal score card in business is the perfect way to track an individual’s performance and contribution to the organization. Let’s draw some lines between the two.
Golf:
At the end of a golf round, I know if I am shooting above par, at par, or if I played really well, then I’m hopefully under par. If I’m under par, I’m winning.
Business:
Much like golf, at the end of the day in business a personal scorecard tells me if I’m winning and how I have contributed to the bottom line. It will tell if I’m making money for the business or if I am spending it.
Golf:
When I track all of my strokes in a golf round on my score card, I know where to focus my attention the next time I go practice at the range.
Business:
When I track my individual performance at work, I can see where I need to focus my attention the next day, week, or month in order to be more successful. If you are not tracking strokes at work, how can you improve your long or short game? You must have a personal score card that speaks to you. You need to know how many strokes you are taking to get your work done. Just as you need to know if your tee-shots are hitting the fairway. You need to know if you are hitting your goals or not. Remember, the least amount of strokes in golf means you are getting the most out of each stroke. There is the same focus in business….do more with less!
Golf:
A common phrase in golf is you “drive for show and putt for dough.” (Dough is referring to money or cash). This means the winners don’t just hit the ball far, but they also have a refined skill to make the precision shots that are so important to their game.
Business:
In business, you have to know if you are “putting for dough.” You need to know what it is that you do that creates profit for your business. Developing your business acumen and using a scorecard is critical to individuals and organizations that are looking to up their game.
Tags: balance scorecard, balanced scorecard concept, scorecards, scorekeeping in business
Posted in bottom line results, performance, scorecard, scorekeeping | No Comments »
Friday, June 25th, 2010
Every one of us likes to see results; whether it’s in the work we do, our investment portfolio, or other activities, good results make us want to celebrate success. Bill Gates has been consistently ranked as one of the world’s wealthiest men. It’s hard to argue with his track record in business or philanthropy. Regardless of his approach, philosophy, or business style you can’t argue with the effectiveness and success he and his organizations have had.
At a recent Town Hall forum for MBA program students at Columbia University, a Masters student asked Bill Gates the following question:
Student Question: My name is Erica and I am a second-year student. My question is for Mr. Gates. What is the most important thing you do every day?
Bill Gates Answer: Well, I do a lot of variety. I think reading a lot, you know, and continuing to learn. I’m in a lot of new areas in the Foundation, education, health. And I love reading a lot. So I think, you know, arming myself with that knowledge and sitting down with people who live the topic and brainstorming with them, that’s what helps me back the right people and make sure I know what’s going on. So I guess I’d say learning is what is the key thing.
 “Arming” yourself and your employees with knowledge is so important. What would organizations look like if we “armed” people to be results based leaders who understand how to increase profit and drive bottom line results? This can be done, by exploring and discovering what really matters and how to properly measure results. I’m not talking about more reports, more charts, more graphs, to bore people with. I’m talking about engaging individuals to measure and do it in a way that speaks to them as individuals. It is about how I fit and why I matter.
Whether you’re looking to drive key results of your business or looking to simply educate employees on finance for non financial managers, arming your people with knowledge to be prepared for battle will ensure more focus around winning as an organization. It’s hard to argue with results.
Posted in Mini-MBA, bottom line leadership, bottom line performance, bottom line results, business acumen, performance | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, July 22nd, 2009
 The Decorator Crab is found in various parts of the ocean, and has a lot to teach us about the way the workplace can affect performance. As all living things have predators of sorts, the Decorator Crab survives and avoids its predators by camouflaging or blending into its environment. This crab will collect items found in its habitat, such as corals, anemones, sponges, and various algae, and attach them to their shell using a hook appendage. Their collection will eventually grow attached and permanently change the look of the crab. When I began thinking about how this species relates to the workplace, I had two totally separate insights that I think are valuable lessons. As such, this blog will be presented in Part One: Finding a Positive Work Environment, and Part Two: Standing Out at Work.
Part Two: Standing Out at Work
There are employees in the work environment who, like this crab, act in a survival mode. They are worried about being laid-off or given extra assignments and responsibilities, and don’t want to challenge the status quo. They too, try to blend in and act in fear of change or challenge. I’m sure you can think of someone just like this right now! The downside of this scenario is they are quickly passed up when opportunities arise. Literally, the chances float right by! What every work environment, and organization for that matter, needs is people who are willing to stick it out through hard times, get noticed, and take risks. While the Decorator Crab can only win from blending in, we can only lose.
Tags: being the best, how to keep my job, positive employee qualities, standing out at work
Posted in accountability, character, continuous improvement, individual strategy, performance | No Comments »
Wednesday, July 15th, 2009
Impressions of The 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss.
While the title of this book intrigued me (only four hours of work a week), I just didn’t get around to reading the best seller until a couple of weeks ago. It’s a fast read and well articulated. I really liked Mr. Ferriss’ first concept that “Time is Money.” For me this view is right on. Too often, we are so busy trying to make a better income, we forget just how much it really costs us. Three main elements in the book caught my attention. I feel they are well worth considering if not incorporating into your life: Elimination, Selective Ignorance, and Outsourcing.
Elimination
As we age, we naturally reach a point where we begin an elimination process in our lives. We not only cut back on material possessions, we also begin to eliminate unfulfilling activities. Mr. Ferris is simply moving this process from the autumn years to the spring years of life.
Selective Ignorance
 One person cannot know everything about everything, and yet we all know people who will not, maybe cannot, say, “I don’t know.” Selective Ignorance, according to Ferriss, is the process of deliberately ignoring topics that may not be relevant or will take too much time to explore. I agree that it is important to limit our focus to what we can handle realistically, but it may not always be to our best interest in doing only those things we enjoy. Think about the first time you were on a bicycle; can you honestly say you enjoyed falling off that two wheeled contraption? Yet, today you may be an avid bicyclist.
Outsourcing
Asking others to do jobs that are outside our expertise is a no-brainer. However, I have two main concerns about giving our tasks we consider time wasters, to others. First, outsourcing will not guarantee that what you get will be what you wanted or needed. Simply put, no one sees the world like you do. Second, by giving your time wasters to someone else, are you adding more hours to their work week. You must ask yourself, “What’s the cost? Is your time more valuable than theirs?” Rather than outsourcing time wasters, let’s go back to the concept of Elimination. Get rid of them and make everyone more efficient.
Summary
What concerns me most about Mr. Ferriss’ book is the impression he gives that you should simply stretch the rules of the game to fit your needs so that you can win the prize. Example, early in the book he talks about using loop holes in rules to win an international sports competition. He drastically reduced his water weight to weigh in at a lower weight so later he would outweigh his opponent. And because he didn’t have the skills, he used another loop hole in the rules to win by pushing his opponents off the mat. So, okay, he won the prize. Strategy and tactics aside, what about ethics! What about to the personal satisfaction in acquiring the skill to compete? While winning is important, the pride in developing the skill is often more satisfying.
Tags: 4 Hour Workweek, efficiency strategies, leadership skills, saving time at work, Strategic Thinking, time is money, Timothy Ferriss
Posted in achievement, continuous improvement, performance, planning, strategy, time management | 3 Comments »
Monday, May 4th, 2009
Hard to believe we are so far in the year already. Looking back, when was the last time you actually looked at or considered this years goals, objectives, and priorities? Is your business plan on track? Are you achieving the results you expected for this year? How are you doing with the S.M.A.R.T. (Specific, Measurable, Aligned, Realistic, Time-bound) goals you set?
Today we live in an era when managers and employees want to exercise more accountability. With accountability comes increased responsibility and a duty to self-evaluate and measure one’s progress. Having worked with over 1,000 sales representatives and managers, setting SMART goals was a key part of the annual planning process.
Even with the planning and the desire to be more accountable, only the TOP performers (top 20%) routinely review their annual goals, making sure they are on target with these goals, and making necessary revisions in order to meet their goals. Too many wait until an annual or a semi-annual performance review to evaluate their goals.
As you take time to review your S.M.A.R.T. goals, the following questions may help you improve your overall performance. Spend a minute or two to really think about:
- Are you demonstrating a sense of urgency, focus, and priority in achieving your goals?
- Are you holding yourself accountable? If you are a leader, are you holding others accountable?
- Have you evaluated and selected effective strategies that will help you achieve your objectives, goals and priorities?
- Are you reviewing the environment and adapting your strategies to maximize opportunities and reduce challenges?
- With your customers – internal and external – are you part of the solution, not part of the problem?
- Are you developing effective business strategies based on the changing market environment and customer’s needs?
- Are you learning and implementing better and more effective ways to serve, impact, and empower customers?
By routinely reviewing your S.M.A.R.T. goals, you will ensure your strategies and tactics are helping you achieve the results that will put you on top in 2009.
Tags: goals, setting goals, SMART Goals, strategies
Posted in goals & goal setting, performance | No Comments »
Wednesday, April 29th, 2009
When we hear the words, Customer Service – it can either put a smile or scowl on most people’s faces when recalling their latest experience. We expect the saying, “The Customer is always right” to be fulfilled and when things go wrong, we seem to look for someone to blame and usually unload a multiplicity of emotions on the first person we talk to. Books are written each day with ways to encourage and provide a “fix-all” when it comes to Customer Service issues. The current trend may say that all it takes is a nice sounding voice on the other end. Sometimes, it takes just a little bit more…
 syndrome made it his own personal mission to fulfill that goal. Each night he would find a thought of the day, make copies and sign his name on the back of the card. The following day, he would put his “thought of the day” into each bag of groceries and thanked the customer for shopping. A month later the Grocery Store Manager found Johnny’s line was three times longer than everyone else’s. It was not that the store was lacking in people to bag groceries; everyone just wanted to be a part of Johnny’s line. Many customers disclosed they were coming into the store multiple times a week, for miscellaneous items, just to get Johnny’s thought of the day.
The end result was amazing and the effect was contagious as departments in the store found their own personal way of providing Customer Service. Each way as unique as the individual and all were contributing to the bottom line. By treating the customer like a guest, how they wanted to be treated, extraordinary Customer Service was exhibited.
Consider the following tips I took away as I read the story of Johnny and the change he made in the lives of others through his personal customer service:
- The most important component for providing outstanding customer service is the attitude of the customer service provider. Unfortunately, you cannot teach a person how to be nice, but you can have competencies that you would like your employees to possess. Hire the right people for the job. Treat employees appropriately, lead by example and the goal of customer service will be realized by the entire team.
- Align your employees with your organizational goals. A colleague of mine often says that every organization is perfectly aligned for the results it gets. Empower your employees to think outside the box to create calculated decisions and then as management support those decisions.
- Embrace and follow a new adage, “Do as I say AND as I do”.
As you implement this criterion for better Customer Service, you will be able to solve problems without an escalation. Your team will contribute to the bottom line in a big way. Sometimes we need to take a minute and remember the “Johnnys” of the world, be a bit more teachable and remember we can all make a difference.
Tags: customers, custormer services
Posted in customer service, performance | No Comments »
Monday, April 6th, 2009
In today’s world of instant communications and lightning speed decision-making, establishing one’s credibility is becoming more challenging. However, establishing your credibility quickly and effectively will make a big difference to your success. Keep in mind that your credibility is based on how you are perceived. Perceptions are “what people see and think”. They drive people’s attitude and ultimately what they believe and feel about you. So what can you do about your credibility? Remember, every personal and business interaction is an opportunity to establish and build on your credibility. Take advantage of every one of them by preparing ahead of time. Think through and plan for interactions with the people you want to influence.
Here are six simple steps you can take:
- Learn something about the people you are trying to establish credibility with. What are their goals, challenges, and needs?
- Constantly seek to understand the people you interact with, ask good questions, get to know as much about them as possible. It will come in handy for steps 3-5.
- Leverage your understanding by sharing a “theme” early in an interaction that indicates you’ve “done your homework” before meeting with them. (e.g. “I read”, I noticed”, or ” I, like you, believe in…”)
- Communicate the “potential value” you offer this person in a simple, concise way. (Think of it like an “elevator speech” something you can give in 1 minute or less)
- Your message should answer 3 questions at the same time (what you do, how you do it, and what value is potentially in it for the other person)
- Be prepared with examples to support your message and position your experience and expertise.
Credibility has a very short life span. It needs to be nurtured and refreshed constantly. The steps above should be used over and over again with practice and perseverance.
Tags: business credibility, corporate credibility, establish your credibility, initial credibility, leadership credibility, personal credibility, professional credibility
Posted in bottom line performance, character, credibility, performance | No Comments »
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