Performance equals measurable results.
To effectively manage performance, leaders must set clear goals and expectations. As direct reports progress toward their targets, managers are responsible for providing continuous feedback on behaviors and impact. Regular check-ins, complemented by more formal reviews in mature organizations, help align individual performance with organizational objectives.
Performance management fosters accountability and continuous improvement by creating opportunities for coaching, professional development, and recognition. For those who consistently underperform despite support, transitioning out of the organization may be necessary to uphold the enterprise’s longevity and health.
When done well, performance management aligns individual performance with the organization's objectives and fosters a culture of accountability and continuous improvement.
Focus Areas
Setting individual goals is the first step to managing performance. Clear expectations are a crucial, powerful enabler to effective feedback and managing poor performance.
Feedback is a tool to professionally share good and bad outcomes that are connected to your team’s behaviors and to help every individual realize what to do more or less of.
Formal 1:1 performance conversations driven by managers. Typically done annually aiming to assess an individual’s performance fueling into compensation and possibly promotion.
Terminations are a manager’s last resort when a direct report continuously fails to meet the organization’s expectations despite an appropriate level of support.