Best Practices_ Managing People_ Secrets to Leading for New Managers - Barry Silverstein [9]
POWER POINTS
ASSESSING TRAINING NEEDS
To figure out what would be best for your staff, you need a training-needs assessment with these components:
Input from management above you
Analysis of the work of successful employees
Employee surveys
Focus groups
If appropriate, on-the-job training can also include cross-training—that is, instruction on how to perform different jobs within an organization, in other areas, departments, or divisions. Whether you allow employees to observe employees performing these other jobs or let them work with or be trained by their peers, this type of training can expand employees’ job responsibilities and make them more versatile and more productive.
Formal Training
When employees need to improve their existing skills or learn new ones, it may be best to invest in formal training. Whether it is conducted internally or by an outside firm, formal training helps employees work up to their potential.
Formal training can be an outside seminar, a university course, or an online course. You might give employees a list of recommended business books to read and schedule times to discuss them.
Training the Trainers
Create an atmosphere of continuous learning by attending training sessions with your staff and encouraging employees to transfer their new knowledge to others. Teaching not only helps reinforce learning but also makes an employee an educational missionary. This arrangement benefits the employee, other employees, and the entire company.
REVIEWING PERFORMANCE
Many managers don’t take the time to give employees adequate feedback. Some wait until an annual performance review.
If you value your people, you will make time to review their work more often. Good managers are continuously commenting on the work done by their staff members, both the good and the bad, as tasks and projects are underway or being completed.
In addition, to provide a wider perspective on employees’ work and how they can improve it, good managers provide a more substantial review at least quarterly, even if the company actually requires no more than an annual review for salary adjustment purposes.
It’s a good idea to develop an objective method of evaluating employees’ job performance. Some companies have performance appraisal forms with rating scales or checklists, while others permit a more narrative approach. The format you use is not as important as the information you convey to the employee and how you convey it.
“The biggest room we have is the room for improvement. There’s always something we can do better, do more often, or do with different intensity. Appropriate criticism helps us focus our attention on what we need to do to become more successful.”
—David Cottrell,
author of Monday Morning Mentoring
Accentuate the Positive
A good performance review should be a positive learning experience, not an exercise in intimidation.
Dos & Don’ts
EFFECTIVE REVIEWING
Reviewing employees is a skill that’s worth developing. Good reviews can help solid employees grow into stars and ultimately make greater contributions to your work.
Do provide continuous feedback.
Do conduct formal reviews at least quarterly.
Do use reviews to set goals for performance, skills acquisition, and advancement.
Don’t have someone else conduct the review of your direct report.
Do give some thought to what feedback you will communicate and make notes of supporting details.
Do use anonymous input from coworkers in addition to your own experience when formulating your review.
Do ask employees to evaluate themselves—and give them ample time to prepare.
Do schedule reviews well in advance and hold them on time.
Do balance negative and positive feedback.
Don’t fail to acknowledge specific accomplishments.
Do make all criticism constructive.
Don’t be critical of the individual, just the behavior.
Do make time for the employee to have his say.
Do let employees respond in writing, if desired.
Don’t end one review without establishing when the next will take place.
First, give