The Four Most Powerful Words in Performance Management

Many leaders struggle with delivering effective performance feedback, even though it's crucial for employee and business growth. While negative feedback can be particularly challenging, the truth is that most employees find all feedback, regardless of tone, to be ineffective. Consider these real-life scenarios:

• Persistent Performance Gap: Despite repeated constructive feedback, an employee’s performance doesn’t improve. They perceive the feedback as part of the iterative process, believing their performance is on track.

  
  

• Self-Critical Overachievement: An employee produces a draft that serves as a starting point for team collaboration. However, they view their performance as subpar, believing they should have provided a perfect solution the first time.

THE THREE ESSENTIAL PHRASES IN PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT

In both scenarios, the leader believed they were providing clear and timely feedback, but the message failed to resonate. To address this disconnect, I've found these three phrases to be invaluable, forming a framework for clear and concise feedback:

1. "You are NOT meeting expectations." This must be followed by:

   • Clearly defined goals and expectations

   • Specific examples of performance gaps

   • Actionable steps to improve

   • A defined timeline for follow-up and further performance management

     
     

2. "You ARE meeting expectations." This should be accompanied by:

   • Positive reinforcement

   • Specific examples of successful performance

   • Suggestions for how to leverage individual strengths within the team

     
     

3. "You are EXCEEDING expectations." This requires:

   • Positive reinforcement.

   • Specific examples of exceptional performance.

   • Guidance on refining skills and behaviors for continued growth.

These phrases eliminate ambiguity, facilitating redirection and development.

HOW SRO ADVISORS CAN HELP

Effective performance management – both formal and informal – is crucial for organizational success, employee engagement, and culture. We can assist your organization by:

• Establishing and implementing a coaching-focused culture.

• Developing effective leadership development.

• Implementing a competency- and outcome-based performance management system, replacing subjective evaluations. This can also be achieved within your current performance management system.

We welcome the opportunity to discuss your organization's performance management culture.