From performance management sceptics to superheroes –maximizing line manager impact

Amira KohlerHead of Performance

and Change

Clear Review

What we’ll cover today

• How Covid-19 has accentuated the importance of performance management

• Three principles of effective performance management

• The critical role that line managers play

• Three types of managers – how to identify and handle them

“Post-Covid”“Life After

Lockdown”

“New

Normal”

Modern Performance Management

It’s needed more than ever

1. Organizational strategies have changed

2. Economic downturn – need ‘more for less’

3. Remote working is here to stay (for some)

4. Challenging working environment for

frontline and key workers

Yet many managers have been found lacking

• Two-thirds of workers say their manager has made things worse

or had no impact on their performance during lockdown

• One in five workers don’t know what is going on day-to-day in their

wider team

• One third of workforce and have been less productive whilst

working from home during lockdown

Research study, June 2020

"Trying to learn a whole new set of programmes. I remember having to

use Zoom, Discord, Skype and Google hangouts across one of my first

days working from home. I was absolutely exhausted from swapping

between unfamiliar programmes.

I am scared to bring this up with my boss because it's likely that there

will be redundancies later on in the year and I don’t want to be perceived

as a high maintenance employee, someone that will cost the company

more time, money and resources or someone who can’t do their job. I

have experienced this in the past and I feel just lucky to have a job."

Diaries of a remote worker, from a public sector employee

“58% of employees say poor management is the biggest thing getting in the way of productivity”

Society for Human Resource Management

Society for Human Resource Management

Three fundamental principles of effective performance management

1. Setting aligned, near-term objectives

2. Giving frequent, in-the-moment feedback

3. Holding meaningful coaching conversations

Your line managers hold the key to

success

Line managers

connect employees

with organisational

priorities

Line managers

give frequent

in-the-moment

feedback

“Fair and accurate feedback can boost employee engagement

by up to 40% and discretionary effort by up to 23.3%”

Corporate Leadership Council Research

Corporate Leadership Council Research

• Be an everyday occurrence – not a ‘big deal’

• Be given as soon after the event as possible

• Be meaningful, clear and specific

• Explain the results of their contribution and

how it positively affects people

Train managers in feedback skills

Make sure they understand feedback needs to

Maximise technology to make it easy

Line managers have

meaningful

coaching

conversations

Regular, Structured Coaching Conversations

• Single biggest impact on performance

management

• Organizations twice as likely to

outperformance their competitors

Research study, 2018

• BUT only 30% of companies have

embedded coaching conversations

Train managers to have performance conversations

✓ Focus on two-way discussion

Not on form-filling

✓ Primarily future-focused and action-oriented

Not past-focused

✓ Strength-based, using a coaching-style

Not critical or ‘parental’

In-the-moment coaching prompts

• Are any objectives at risk of not being delivered on time?

• What obstacles are getting in the way?

• How might these be overcome? What are the options?

• What support can I or your colleagues provide to help you

to successfully deliver these objectives?

Data shows this works

Taking the action of:

Having a Conversation

Resulted in:

↑ 48% Higher quality Conversations

with agreed action points

The action of:

Giving/Receiving Feedback

Resulted in:

↑ 33% more Feedback

Clear Review data

from 50,000 users

How to spot, and handle your superheroes…and sceptics

Performance Management Superhero – Enlightened Advocate

THEY WILL BE… Managing their people with a collaborative

management style – they view it as why they are

successful

THEY WILL SAY… “Trust and empower me to get on with it”

4 KEYWORDS Release, empower, cross-fertilise, celebrate

HR’s JOB IS TO… - Trust them to do it right

- Not constrain with too many rules and processes

- Allow them to get on with it

- Crystalize their approach and behaviour in practical

terms – explain to others

- Communicate examples of best practice internally

- Use data to prove their high degree of activity

- Encourage them to share: “this is why it works”

- Celebrate them - they are valuable assets!

TRAINING

APPROACH

Make sure training aids are readily available. Be

prepared to be hands-off – they’ll ask for support

The Willing and Trainable Majority

THEY WILL BE… Delivering effective performance management:

- setting objectives

- giving feedback

- having conversations

THEY WILL SAY… “Help me to do it right”

4 KEYWORDS Remind, refresh, competence, confidence

HR’s JOB IS TO… - Train effectively to inspire confidence and

competence

- Refresh and remind on occasion

- Make sure training aids are easy to find and use

- Use comparative data to show activity and impact

- Communicate success stories – “it’s worth it”

- Partner them up with Enlightened Advocates

TRAINING

APPROACH

Ensure training is user-friendly and easy to access.

Provide practical templates and examples

The ‘Sceptic’ – The Accidental Line ManagerTHEY WILL BE… ‘Missing in action’ – not fully invested in effective performance

management with team

THEY WILL SAY… “I don’t have time for this non-core activity”

“HR says I should talk to you about …..”

4 KEYWORDS Coax, cajole, coach, challenge

HR’s JOB IS TO… - Explain WIIFM: “it’s not fluffy”

- Reset and clarify expectations: “it is your job” so “shape up

or ship out”

- Or minimise damage - move to individual contributor roles

- Use data to identify and challenge sceptics who are not

fulfilling the role – show them that others are doing more

- Understand their motivations: is it ‘can’t do’ or ‘won’t do’?

- Ascertain impact versus influence (4 box grid):

• focus your efforts on high impact, high influence

• be mindful of expending too much energy on sceptics

who are low impact and low influence

TRAINING APPROACH Use bespoke, targeted, 1:1 coaching approach – high touch,

high gain

Resources

PERFORMANCE

MANAGEMENT ‘SUPERHERO’ –

THE ENLIGHTENED ADVOCATE

THE WILLING AND

TRAINABLE MAJORITY

‘SCEPTIC’ –

THE ‘ACCIDENTAL’ LINE MANAGER

THEY WILL

BE…

Managing their people with a collaborative

management style – they view it as why they are

successful

Delivering effective PM: -

- setting Objectives

- giving Feedback

- having Conversations

‘Missing in action’ – not fully invested in effective

performance management with team

THEY WILL

SAY…

“Trust and empower me to get on with it” “Help me to do it right” “I don’t have time for this non-core activity”

“HR says I should talk to you about …..”

4

KEYWORDS

Release, empower, cross-fertilise, celebrate Remind, refresh, competence,

confidence

Coax, cajole, coach, challenge

HR’s JOB IS

TO…

- Trust them to do it right

- Not constrain with too many rules and processes

- Allow them to get on with it

- Crystalize their approach and behaviour in

practical terms – explain to others

- Communicate examples of best practice

internally

- Encourage them to share: “this is why it works”

- Celebrate them - they are valuable assets!

- Train effectively to inspire confidence

and competence

- Refresh and remind on occasion

- Make sure training aids are easy to find

and use

- Communicate success stories – “it’s

worth it”

- Partner them up with Enlightened

Advocates

Explain WIIFM: “it’s not fluffy”

- Clarify expectations: “it is your job”

- Understand their motivations: is it ‘can’t do’ or ‘won’t

do’?

- Ascertain impact versus influence (4 box grid):

• focus efforts on high impact, high influence

• minimise the damage of others - move them

into individual contributor roles

• be mindful of expending too much energy

on them

• Share organization’s expectations for

people managers – “shape up or ship out”

TRAINING

APPROACH

Make sure training aids are readily available. Be

prepared to be hands-off – they’ll ask for support

Ensure training is user-friendly and easy

to access. Provide practical templates

Use bespoke, targeted, 1:1 coaching approach – high

touch, high gain

Take Courses - Continuous Performance Management 101

Join Communities - Performance Management

- Clear Review Customers

academy.clearreview.com

Lots of extra resources at clearreview.com including:

• Webinar: Why check-in conversations are so vital right now –Virgin Money and Clear Review

• Resource: Performance Management Health Check- quick tool to assess the health of PM in your organisation