Step 2 to Your Most Productive Staff Ever

 

Written September 25, 2013 

 

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Last month, you discovered the first step to get your employees to do the job you are paying them to do…

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The step was: Define success in every position in your company by writing down at least five goals an employee must accomplish to become and remain productive.

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So, have you done this yet?

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Does every one of your employees, in every position, know exactly what is required of them daily, weekly, monthly or yearly?

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If not, stop expecting them to perform to your expectations… because they don’t even know what your expectations are.

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Here is Step 2…

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Now that you’ve defined success, it’s time to determine how successful each employee currently is.

You do this by assessing their current performance in relation to the goals you’ve now created. And this is something you want to get in the habit of doing not once a year, but once a quarter, and ideally once a month.

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Until you do, you are leaving it up to your employees to evaluate their own performance. And they either won’t, or they will evaluate their performance much better than you would… and see no reason to improve.

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So this sounds like a lot of work?

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Well, it probably will be at first. But once you establish the standards and system, it will take you just a few minutes each moth.

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Which is better than the alternatives…

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3 Things that Will Happen if You Don’t Start Evaluating Performance:

 

#1 – Nothing…

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If you continue on with business as usual, nothing will change. Your employees will continue to underperform… and so will your business.

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Your time will continue to be filled with micromanaging those that can’t (& won’t) do the job you’re paying them to do.

 

#2 – Underperformers Won’t Take You or Your Standards Seriously

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Now, if you do follow Step 1 and create these standards, but then don’t follow Step 2, you’ll have wasted your time, and everyone’s time.

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Even worse, by introducing something but never following up on it, this becomes the standard. And the more you do this, those underperforming take you, their job and your business even less seriously.

 

#3 – Moral, Productivity & Retention of Your TOP Performers Will Decrease

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Usually with or without written performance standards, your TOP Performers produce. That is because they have the same (or greater) expectations of themselves than you have for them.

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Though, if you continue to let your underperformers hold your business back, and you continue paying them the hard-earned revenue that your TOP Performers are producing, you’ll see the self-motivation of your best people decrease.

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When it does, the productivity of your business will decrease as well. And then eventually, because your TOP Performers are being forced to not only do their jobs but the jobs of underperformers, they will go to work for your competitors.

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3 Things that Will Happen When You Do Start Evaluating Performance:

 

#1 – Better Communication & Teamwork Between Managers & Their Team

When you and your managers are meeting with employees once a quarter (or once a month) to discuss their performance, everybody will be on the same page as to what is required to improve performance.

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#2 – Customized Training for Employees that Need a Little Coaching to Improve

As communication improves, excuses will diminish and your employees will take a more active role in improving their own performance. Those close to expected performance levels will start suggesting the customized training and coaching they need.

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#3 – More Employee Engagement & Self-Motivation

When management becomes a comrade rather than foe, employee engagement will improve. When employees see themselves as a more important asset (rather than just a number) to your company and the goals you have for their department and the business, their self-worth improves and so will their self-motivation.

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But then, there will still be some that still don’t improve… So stay tuned for next month’s article and Step 3 to Your Most Productive Staff Ever.

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Read Article 3 (of 3) in this Series Here!

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