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Vol. #07, Issue#81
August, 2015
 

Mike manages about forty people. On our coaching call this week he developed an action plan for helping a young supervisor improve his performance.

Mike shared, "I think his heart's in the right place and he does do most of the work. But he doesn't think ahead and he doesn't think about what else he can do, unless I suggest it. I want him to take ownership, but something's not there and I'm not sure what to do about it."

Mike and I walked through the R.E.V. Performance Improvement Process to build an action plan for this employee. Here are the steps we used:
    • R. Remove Obvious Barriers  
    • E. Expectations for Performance     
    • V. Verify Job Fit
Questions for: Remove Obvious Barriers (R):  
  • Does this employee have the right tools, experience and training to do the job?
  • Are you leading, managing and supporting the employee in the best and most effective way?
  • Are there structural team or company issues getting the way? 
Mike decided on these action steps:
  1. Provide more mentoring and training by having this employee spend a few hours a week shadowing a high performer, in the same role, at another location and scheduling him for relevant skill training.
  2. Mike will review the DISC Communication Style Video and Style Cheat Sheet to adapt his communication style match this employee's style and needs.
  3. Throughout Mike's career, including time in the military, he ALWAYS did exactly what his leaders asked of him. Lately, he's been frustrated with many of his younger employees who are not similarly motivated. To gain a better understanding of what today's younger workers need, he decided to listen to this podcast: How to Train and Retain the Millennial / Generation Y Employee for ideas on how to engage this person and the other Millennials on his team.
     
Questions for: Expectations for Performance (E):
  • Does this employee clearly understand top focus areas and priorities in the job and have they been discussed?
  • Has the employee had the opportunity to help craft the actions and measurements for each performance area? (Getting the employee involved will improve his buy-in.)
  • Once performance expectations are in place, are employees held accountable to them? Are they reviewed regularly to check progress? 
Mike decided on these action steps:
  1. He realized that the elaborate checklists he's been using, while accurate are probably overwhelming to someone new in the industry. He decided to create, with the employee, a Performance Dashboard of the top expectations in the job.
  2. Mike committed to hold short employee accountability and trouble shooting meetings around Dashboard progress, success and trouble areas.
     
Questions for: Verify Job Fit (V.):
  • Is this person a strong fit for the job? Does he match the style, motivators, personal skills, experience and future goals required for success in the job? (More about job fit, here.) 
Mike decided on these action steps:
  1. This employee may or may not be a great fit for the job. He will revisit this area in three to six months.
  2. If at that time:
    ---performance has decreased or stayed the same, Mike will take official Company Action Plan and Discipline steps toward termination. 
    ---performance has only slightly improved, Mike will consider having this employee participate in the assessment and coaching process to determine job fit and next-step specific development actions.

For weeks Mike had been frustrated with this employee and about the situation, but he'd been so busy he'd not stopped long enough to figure out a plan of action. By taking time to answer the R.E.V. questions, in less than one hour Mike had a good plan. He felt relieved and empowered.

Try the R.E.V. steps if you have an employee whose performance is not where you need it to be. It's simple and it works!
Coaching for You AND Me! 
Two Complimentary Coaching Packages...
As someone who's always moving toward my own 'growth edges'  I want to record several real-life coaching calls so that I can get specific feedback from my Coach on where I can grow and improve.

So, I am offering two complimentary Coaching Packages in exchange for the ability to record each call, and then share them with my Coach for my own skill enhancement.  Each package will include: three coaching calls, the full suite of assessments and access to my self-study tools page. (Valued at $1,300 each.)

I plan to start this as soon as possible. The application process includes an email about why you're interested and a short follow up phone call.  If this is for you, send me an email with a couple of reasons why.   If this is not you, but you might know of someone, please share this information with him or her.  Thanks!!
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Listen & Read Show Notes, Now!
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This Month's Video...
This video melts my heart every time I watch it. 

It reminds me to lean into other people's hard times and challenges with kindness and caring. I don't need to shy away from their pain or sadness, and I don't need to try to fix things. 

Being there for someone (even strangers) can be as simple as just listening, caring and sharing a small act of kindness.  Bless this teen and these young parents. 

Who can you (me too!) listen to, care for and share a small act of kindness with today?
Helping Leaders, Trainers and Consultants Build the Energy, Commitment and Communication in Organizations

Suzie Price
CPF, CPBA, CPVA, CPHD
Priceless Professional Development
770-578-6976770-578-6976

 
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