How well are you managing performance? Are you focused in the right areas? Are you working with the right people? Are you doing the right things? Take this quick quiz.
1. Divide a piece of paper in half and consider the following scenario: You have just been assigned a major project. It has high visibility, risk, and potential for impact.
- On the left side of the paper, list five of your direct reports (or the level just below them) who you would absolutely bring on board
- On the right side of the paper, list five of your direct reports (or the level just below them) who you would avoid at all costs.
2. Read each statement below. Put a tick mark next to the name of any person to whom the statement applies.
- In the last 30 days, I’ve spoken to this person about his or her performance and what s/he needs to do to move forward
- I have a specific plan for moving this person from his or her current level of performance to the next level of performance
- In the last 30 days, I’ve taken a specific action to help this person improve his or her performance
- This person would not have been on the list (on the same side) 18 months ago
- This person will not be on the list (on the same side) 18 months from now
3. Count the number of tick marks and multiply by 2*. The final number is your grade (out of 100) on managing performance. How did you do?
Did you score less than 70%
If you scored less than 70% you may not be managing performance in a proactive way. You could be relying more on your formal HR processes and less on the day-to-day opportunities that exist to improve your workforce. Managing performance is like any other management task. It requires commitment, discipline, planning, execution, and follow through.
Do you have more tick marks on one side or other?
If so, you might not be fully engaged with your workforce. If you have more tick marks on the left, you might be ignoring your performance problems. While your top performers may be able to compensate in the short term, they will eventually get drained and demotivated. No one likes to work with a slacker. More importantly, people do not like to think that others are getting away with not pulling their weight. If your top performers don’t see you taking action on low performers, they may start to question whether their extra effort is worth it.
On the other hand, if you have more tick marks on the right side, you might be ignoring your top people. This is quite common. We often believe that top performers can manage on their own – after all they are top performers. While it’s true that top performers don’t need as much guidance on their current activities, they need your help looking forward. They need to know how to get to the next level. They need your help in getting them out in front of the right people or giving them the right opportunities.
And, while they aren’t on the list, your middle performers need your support as well. They are the ones who do most of the work. Don’t neglect them.
Managing performance is a day-to-day activity for leaders. As a leader your job is to be moving everyone from their current level of performance to a greater level. Your actions and intentions might differ from low to high performers but your commitment and follow through must be consistent.
* If you couldn’t come up with ten names all together, use the table below to find an alternative multiplier:
| Total people on both lists | Multiply total tick marks by |
| 10 | 2.00 |
| 9 | 2.22 |
| 8 | 2.50 |
| 7 | 2.86 |
| 6 | 3.33 |
