Performance Management Training Course - 1 Day

The fundamental goal of a performance manager is to find an answer to a single question:
How can we get the best performance from ourselves and others?

You need to get the best performance from others, because the success of the whole enterprise is based upon the success of each individual team member. To succeed, we need to inspire others to give the best performance they have. We need to help them express their full potential.

How do we do that?
Answer: We develop a set of very particular skills: Performance management skills.

We need to develop many skills, but we can put all of them under three general headings, Clarity, Reason, Positive emotion.

Clarity means: Clear thinking, clear communication, clear standards, clear goals.

Reason means: Rational plans. Rational, logical analysis of the current situation. Treating everyone as reasonable, intelligent human beings, (i.e. with respect).

Positive emotion means: Having a positive expectation that everyone can improve.

We will score ourselves out of ten, against a checklist of skills needed by performance managers.

Since none of us are perfect, we will all find areas where we are weak, and areas where we are stronger. We will then ask you to tell us, what specific questions do you want us to answer today?

Which skills do you most want to develop?

By the time we have finished this section, we know why we are here. We know our goals.

In a general way, we all share the same goal. Our goal is “To add value to others”. We can only succeed at work by adding value to our clients, colleagues, and organisation.

1. We cannot succeed if we fail to add value.
2. We cannot succeed if we detract value from others.

We will do and say only those things that will add value to others.

What is true for us, is true for everyone else.

We should all be value adders.

We each occupy a different position in the scheme of things. So, each of us interprets the general principle of adding value in our own specific way.

We will discuss the power of setting specific goals. In order to help people, maximise their potential we must sell them on the idea that they win by adding value, and setting specific, progressive goals.

We will show you how to set goals and begin to plan for their achievement.

Goal setting is the first step to achievement.

In order to help people, set clear goals we need to develop skills as a communicator.

We need communication skills that are clear, rational and positive.

We open up channels of clear communication with others.

We need to eliminate misunderstandings; we must make ourselves clearly understood.

We will show you techniques to improve the accuracy of your language.

Most words have multiple meanings. So, when you say one thing, they picture another thing. And vice versa, when they say one thing, you picture something else completely. The solution to the problem lies in asking for, and giving clear unequivocal definitions, (exact meaning) to key words and phrases.

We will spend an hour on how to find the right words to express your exact meaning. And how to use the same method, to extract” exact meanings” from the minds of others.

Having a goal is not enough. You must find rational ways of achieving it. We will discuss what it means to be rational, since we have all heard “everything happens for a reason”.

We must always treat everyone reasonably. We must never treat anyone unreasonably. And we can never accept unreasonable behaviour.

So, we must have a clear conception of what we mean when we say, Reason, rational or reasonable.

Part of Reasoning is Critical thinking. We need to develop our critical thinking skills, but we must not become over critical. We must be optimistic but not “pie in the sky wishful thinkers”.

We will ask you to distinguish between optimism, critical thinking and cynicism.

Our goal is to develop the concept of rational optimism. We will use the methods of rational optimism to affect others.

Based upon the knowledge gained so far we are now equipped to transform negative conversations, into positive. We are now Rational optimists, and we use our skills to positively influence others.

It is possible to have the right intentions, but use the wrong language and as a result, mess up.

We will examine the role of language. How well do you influence others towards the positive? It is not enough to be nice. You must also be skilled.

We will summarise the morning session and ask you how you will use your new knowledge to perfect your performance management language skills.

There are four ways to handle poor performance in others, but only one of them works.

When faced with poor behaviour, people respond with; anger, upset, evasion or reason.

Anger never works well. Nor does getting upset, nor does evasion. The only productive way to handle poor performance is through the use of REASON.

We must reason it through.

We will ask you if you respond to poor performance, with anger, upset or evasion.

We will start to elaborate on what it means to have a rational response to poor performance.

The second part of the afternoon is self-image psychology. We will discuss the role of the self-image. The self-image is the sum of a person’s thoughts, feelings and beliefs about who they are. The self-image gives identity.

The self-image is a hugely important concept because people always act in accordance with their self-image.

To get the best performance from others, you must systematically strengthen their self-image. You must never attack it. You must never denigrate it.

We must limit all negative comments of their performance to behavioural statements, and NOT denigrate their character or identity.

We will show you how to do this.

Everything you say will either: Build them up. Not build them up. Take them down.

We will speak in ways that reflect this fact. Rarely should you “take people down a peg or two”.

The purpose of your performance management is to simultaneously change their behaviour whilst at the same time, build up their self-image. This is a highly skilled job. Most people cannot do it. As they attempt to change the persons behaviour, they accidentally destroy the self-image of the other.

To pull off this amazing trick of critiquing the others behaviour whilst building up their self-image, you must become more aware of the use of your language.

We will break language into two sets, factual and opinionated.

The same distinction is also called:

• Objective v subjective
• Feedback v insult
• Helpful v hurtful
• Rational v derogatory

We will eliminate words that are hurtful, derogatory, subjective or insulting. We will show you how to use words that are purely objective, helpful, rational feedback.

This section of the course is a game changer. It could change your life forever.

Now you know how to word your message, you can engage in a process of behaviour modification. The other person is less likely to fight you because your message sounds right, feels right. You will be amazed at the difference a change in the way you speak, (and write) can have on the mind and behaviour of others.

Once you have engaged the other persons willingness to improve, and you have gained their commitment to make changes based upon the feedback you have offered them, you need to reinforce that change. If you don’t reinforce that change, many people will slip and fall back into their old bad habits.
Reinforce the change, and keep the new behaviour going until it becomes the “new normal”.

We reinforce behaviour with a constant trickle of appreciation, praise and encouragement.

Social motivators are the intangible, (Non-monetary aspects) of motivation.

They are feelings based upon the words you use, day in day out.

You might call it, the work culture, or the office atmosphere.

You need to get the right atmosphere in the office. You need to establish the right culture. We will show you how.

It is important not only to correct poor behaviour, but to inspire excellence.

We finish on a discussion of continuous improvement, which is the eternal quest to move closer to our ideals. We know we can never reach perfection, but the attempt is worth the effort.

We will discuss how we can instil this ethos of being “happy with our performance but never completely satisfied”.

We have covered a lot of ground since this morning and you have learned many powerful concepts, and techniques. We will ask you to tell us, which ideas did you find the most powerful and how will you apply them?