by Eric Britten, Kevin Grossman, Leighanne Levensaler and Chad Rose
Executive Summary
Keeping employees on task and working to peak performance is always a challenge. As Focus Expert Eric Britten writes: “Managing employee performance is one of the most misunderstood and abused processes in organizations today. That’s why employees and managers alike dread the process.” So how do you effectively manage employee performance and make it a positive experience? In this guide, Eric and fellow Focus Experts Kevin Grossman, Leighanne Levensaler and Chad Rose share their top 7 best practices for managing employee performance.
After reading this guide, be sure to check out the entire discussion and join the conversation:
Best Practices Checklist
1. Develop a good process and be sure everyone uses it.
2. Beware of the ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach.
3. Make your performance plan meaningful and useful to the employee and the organization.
4. Make performance management an ongoing activity.
5. Establish performance expectations.
6. Be honest and direct.
Best Practices for Managing Employee Performance
Focus Research ©2011
Best Practices
1. Develop a good process and be sure everyone uses it.
“One reason performance management is unsuccessful in many organizations is because the process is not well understood, it is not reinforced (particularly by C-suite denizens), and because different managers use it with varying degrees of acuity. The solutions to this point, then, are fairly obvious. If a performance management process is worth having, it is worth making sure everyone, managers and employees alike, understand the process and the reason for it. Training is the key here, not just in using the tool, but in using it properly. Next, everyone in the organization should have a performance plan, including the CEO, who must lead by example and visibly reinforce the process.” (Britten)
2. Beware of the ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach.
“Avoid the peanut butter approach. Tailor performance management practices to different workforce segments. Your shop floor workers should not have to conform to the same process as your accountants and vice versa.” (Levensaler)
3. Make your performance plan useful to the employee and the organization.
“If a performance management process is to be useful, it must speak to the individual and the organization. In other words, what is in the plan must be relevant, strategic and be part of the fabric of the organization. The plan must link employees to their organization and its strategy in a real way. Employees need to be able to see how working their plan will make both them and their organization more successful. In order to do that, the plan must link, at least in part, to organizational, departmental and job-specific mission and planning. Other elements must enable the success of the individual.” (Britten)
“Know your culture. Despite all the research on best practices, it is best to develop a set of practices that are consistent with your unique culture and organization readiness.” (Levensaler)
4. Make performance management an ongoing activity.
“Performance management is an everyday activity, not something done two, three or four times a year. Elements of everyone’s plans should be visible in what they do week in, week out. If plans are developed and aligned properly, employees and managers should be able to link what they are doing almost daily to something in their plan. Managers need to connect those dots frequently in group or individual meetings. The periodic performance meetings should be times for managers and employees to summarize that which is mostly already known, not a time for dread and surprises.” (Britten)
“Have one-on-ones with your staff. Schedule them and also have them informally when needed. This is a great way to give each of them your undivided attention, regular performance reviews, reciprocal feedback on your performance as a manager, empathizing on personal issues and advising counsel if necessary, identifying potential workplace issues that need addressing, and much more.” (Grossman)
5. Establish performance expectations.
“Set clear expectations and don’t move them, especially if a salesperson meets or exceeds those expectations. Then darn well deliver on the promises you made around those expectations, 100 percent without any exceptions.” (Rose)
6. Be honest and direct.
“I don’t think anyone performs well, especially in sales, without transparency and honesty. Salespeople are naturally curious and trained to dig out the truth. Good managers give it to them without sugarcoating it. If salespeople are doing well or not, they should know right away. Once they know the truth about, for example, a question on performance, give them a clear path to achieve what you want and a clear picture of what will happen if they do or don’t.” (Rose)
Read the entire discussion, and join the conversation:
Join us for four FREE roundtable teleconferences this week featuring Focus Experts. Topics include Business Intelligence, Virtual Events, Email Marketing, and Lead Nurturing.
Roundtable #1 Business Intelligence: Measuring What Matters
March 15th, 2011 at 11am PT/ 2pm ET
Rick Cadman, Ron Dimon, Mark Kramer and Dawna MacLean will discuss the keys to unlocking the next wave of business innovation and growth. Topics include:
1. How Shared Value focuses companies on the right kind of profits
2. How the latest thinking on Shared Value and Enterprise Performance Management are converging to enhance long-term competitiveness
3. How to build a roadmap to measure and manage results across disciplines and throughout your value cycle
Visit for details.
Roundtable #2 Virtual Events: The Next Generation of Virtual Events and Digital Communities.
March 16th, 2011 at 1 pm PT / 4 pm ET
Dannette Veale, Dennis Shiao, Michael Doyle, Paul Salinger and Shannon Ryan will provide valuable insight on how virtual events and digital communities are evolving to support the marketing portfolio. Topics include:
1. Must-know 2011 trends in virtual events and digital communities
2. How to garner corporate support and leverage virtual/digital environments to address objectives across the organization
3. Essential tips for transforming your environment into an "always-on" brand experience
Visit for details.
Roundtable #3 Email Marketing: Integrating Email Marketing and Social Media.
March 17th, 2011 at 11 am PT / 2 pm ET
Andrew Kordek, DJ Waldow and Jeff Rohrs will discuss the many tactics for integrating email marketing and social media. Topics include:
1. Using email marketing to grow/strengthen your social networks.
2. Using social media to grow/strengthen you email marketing efforts.
3. The future of email marketing and social media integration.
Visit for details.
Roundtable #4 Lead Nurturing: 7 Must-Have Lead Nurturing Recipes for B2B Marketers.
March 18th, 2011 at 1 pm PT / 4 pm ET
Ardath Albee, Brian Hansford, Craig Rosenberg, Emily Mayfield, Jeff Erramouspe, Michael Damphousse, and Tibor Shanto will discuss ingredients, techniques and timing b2b marketers need to effectively execute lead nurturing programs. Based on Manticore Technology's Lead Nurturing Cookbook, the aforementioned experts will share their "recipes" for creating proven-effective nurturing programs that B2B marketers can implement in real-world scenarios. Topics Include:
1. What 3 basic ingredients you need to successfully build and implement a lead nurturing process
2. The optimal number and timing of touches for different types of lead nurturing processes
3. How to integrate human touch points into lead nurturing and maximize call-connect rates
Visit for details.
Roundtable #1 Business Intelligence: Measuring What Matters
March 15th, 2011 at 11am PT/ 2pm ET
Rick Cadman, Ron Dimon, Mark Kramer and Dawna MacLean will discuss the keys to unlocking the next wave of business innovation and growth. Topics include:
1. How Shared Value focuses companies on the right kind of profits
2. How the latest thinking on Shared Value and Enterprise Performance Management are converging to enhance long-term competitiveness
3. How to build a roadmap to measure and manage results across disciplines and throughout your value cycle
Visit for details.
Roundtable #2 Virtual Events: The Next Generation of Virtual Events and Digital Communities.
March 16th, 2011 at 1 pm PT / 4 pm ET
Dannette Veale, Dennis Shiao, Michael Doyle, Paul Salinger and Shannon Ryan will provide valuable insight on how virtual events and digital communities are evolving to support the marketing portfolio. Topics include:
1. Must-know 2011 trends in virtual events and digital communities
2. How to garner corporate support and leverage virtual/digital environments to address objectives across the organization
3. Essential tips for transforming your environment into an "always-on" brand experience
Visit for details.
Roundtable #3 Email Marketing: Integrating Email Marketing and Social Media.
March 17th, 2011 at 11 am PT / 2 pm ET
Andrew Kordek, DJ Waldow and Jeff Rohrs will discuss the many tactics for integrating email marketing and social media. Topics include:
1. Using email marketing to grow/strengthen your social networks.
2. Using social media to grow/strengthen you email marketing efforts.
3. The future of email marketing and social media integration.
Visit for details.
Roundtable #4 Lead Nurturing: 7 Must-Have Lead Nurturing Recipes for B2B Marketers.
March 18th, 2011 at 1 pm PT / 4 pm ET
Ardath Albee, Brian Hansford, Craig Rosenberg, Emily Mayfield, Jeff Erramouspe, Michael Damphousse, and Tibor Shanto will discuss ingredients, techniques and timing b2b marketers need to effectively execute lead nurturing programs. Based on Manticore Technology's Lead Nurturing Cookbook, the aforementioned experts will share their "recipes" for creating proven-effective nurturing programs that B2B marketers can implement in real-world scenarios. Topics Include:
1. What 3 basic ingredients you need to successfully build and implement a lead nurturing process
2. The optimal number and timing of touches for different types of lead nurturing processes
3. How to integrate human touch points into lead nurturing and maximize call-connect rates
Visit for details.
When and how have you been successful leading behavior change with your people?
Posted by Eric Britten
This question was posted on FOCUS by Chad Cook, President of Bright Side. My response was selected as the best response. Here's what I posted:
2. Make the change relevant to the people who need to embrace it. I have found that one of the key elements to achieving buy in is connecting the dots for the folks who are involved in the change. Help them understand why the change is necessary, how it fits into organizational strategy, what the anticipated benefits from it will be, and how it will affect them. Often this works best when you can get them to look at the change from an organizational perspective, not from their own position in the organization. Fear is often the hallmark of ignorance - help employees understand why the change is necessary.
3. Be honest about the change. Be open and and candid about why the change is necessary and what effects it will have on the organization. Nothing derails change more than suspicion that leadership has a motive they are not sharing.
4. Leadership must be committed to the change. If the change is worthwhile, leadership must be visibly and actively supportive of the change. They must deliver a consistent message about the need for the change, their support for it, and resolute that nobody wavers.
5. Communicate, communicate, communicate. Consistently sharing who, what, when, where and why about the change in meetings, on bulletin boards, in newsletters, etc. is an important strategy. Good communications eliminates any surprises, keeps everyone up to date on what is going on, and is a good training tool.
6. Celebrate success. Change is hard! Once success is achieved, celebrate it and those who made it possible.
7. Follow up. Every change implementation is not inherently 100% successful. Once the change is implemented, be alert for flaws, problems or issues. Address them in an open structured review and improvement process.
Check out my FOCUS profile.
This question was posted on FOCUS by Chad Cook, President of Bright Side. My response was selected as the best response. Here's what I posted:
Hi, Chad: For many years, professionals involved in improving processes or implementing new ones believed that all they needed were process mapping tools, a collection of workshop exercises and a fiat from above. After years of failed or unsustainable implementations or changes, it became patiently obvious that change was more about behavior than tools. Here are some of the concepts that have worked well for me:
1. Empower the people who do the work to lead the process. People change behavior because they want to, not because someone tells them they must. Engaging those who do the work that needs to be changed in the change process allows them to be involved in the change and the way it is going to be implemented. Nobody knows better how the work is done that those who do it, so allowing them to participate in the change process increases the probability that the steps that need to be implemented will really work.
2. Make the change relevant to the people who need to embrace it. I have found that one of the key elements to achieving buy in is connecting the dots for the folks who are involved in the change. Help them understand why the change is necessary, how it fits into organizational strategy, what the anticipated benefits from it will be, and how it will affect them. Often this works best when you can get them to look at the change from an organizational perspective, not from their own position in the organization. Fear is often the hallmark of ignorance - help employees understand why the change is necessary.
3. Be honest about the change. Be open and and candid about why the change is necessary and what effects it will have on the organization. Nothing derails change more than suspicion that leadership has a motive they are not sharing.
4. Leadership must be committed to the change. If the change is worthwhile, leadership must be visibly and actively supportive of the change. They must deliver a consistent message about the need for the change, their support for it, and resolute that nobody wavers.
5. Communicate, communicate, communicate. Consistently sharing who, what, when, where and why about the change in meetings, on bulletin boards, in newsletters, etc. is an important strategy. Good communications eliminates any surprises, keeps everyone up to date on what is going on, and is a good training tool.
6. Celebrate success. Change is hard! Once success is achieved, celebrate it and those who made it possible.
7. Follow up. Every change implementation is not inherently 100% successful. Once the change is implemented, be alert for flaws, problems or issues. Address them in an open structured review and improvement process.
Check out my FOCUS profile.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)