7 Strategies for People and Performance Management

Keeping your eye on the business and improving employee performance at the same time can be a challenge; that is why performance management is so important in organizations. By its very definition, performance management contributes to the development of individuals and teams in order to achieve higher levels of organizational performance.

Do you have the skills and ability to coach employees toward peak performance? Are employees clear on what is expected of them, do they have the tools to continuously upgrade their skills and develop their potential?

Employees may never reach their full potential until you first learn how to establish performance goals, clearly communicate expectations, identify the gaps between where an employee is today, the gains that are needed, and design a plan for how to get there.Performance management can not be a once-a-year event to be ceremoniously concluded by the completion and filing of a form. What good does it do an organization to have completed forms that only document lack luster performance?

True performance management is more than tracking and monitoring what is. It must become an everyday conversation and relationship building process that managers initiate to create what can be. The power of the process is realized when employees are clear about what's expected of them and managers use it as a collaborative tool to reach goals, and optimize performance.Performance is the one thing that every company wants from its employees. After all, isn't that what they are paying for? Conducting review sessions that do not better enable or inspire improved performance just add to the costs.

There are 7 performance enhancing strategies that you might try in service to the employee. Ultimately they are responsible for their actions but they also need you to:

1. Assess

Assess performance, identify competency gaps, and then define performance objectives in precise and demonstrable terms.

2. Communicate

Communicate expectations, roles, and responsibilities through performance discussions that simultaneously build relationships, improve performance, commitment and accountability.

3. Coach

Coach employees in a way that corrects performance deficiencies, reinforces appropriate behaviors, teaches new skills, and inspires them to higher levels of performance.

4. Diagnose

Diagnose performance problems early and remove any barriers that may impede employee performance.

5. Collaborate

Collaborate with employees and others to identify performance goals, support systems, and improvement strategies that will improve both today's performance results and the skills needed for tomorrow's challenges.

6. Document

Document all performance-related discussions, quickly, confidently and legally.

7. Retain

Retain your most talented performers, recognize all employees for their efforts, and reward great performance.