One of my favorite and most successful managerial tools was the use of expectations. Everyone on my staff knew what was expected of them, and that they would be held accountable to those expectations. I met daily with each of them and we discussed any possible problems or roadblocks that needed assistance from me or specific coaching. If there were any performance issues that needed to be addressed, we did this on a daily basis also. That way, corrections to performance didn’t have to wait until a yearly formal performance review. There was no place to hide a performance shortcoming.
All too often, managers are afraid to meet/evaluate/confront their subordinates. If a manager can’t do that, then the chances are that he/she won’t be as successful as could be. It also gives you, the manager, a chance to make sure that the expectations are fair and attainable. If not, adjustments to these expectations should be implemented in fairness to the employee, to you, and to the company.
With those expectations comes accountability of the subordinate. A manager can’t be afraid to ensure that the employee has the tools to meet the expectations, and if they aren’t met, then the manager can’t be afraid to administer whatever corrective action needs to be taken. Of course this may include disciplinary action from counseling to termination, dependent upon the offense and its frequency. As a manager, your allegiance is to the company of course.
If you meet with your employees daily either in person or by phone, then your chances of departmental success will have greatly improved, and the formal performance appraisal meeting will be one with no surprises. I welcome any comments or discussion.
You make a good point. If there is a core skill that we need today, it is accountablility…that, and spelling.
Nicely said. It’s really pretty simple. I’ve found many managers don’t want to take the time to meet and/or are afraid to confront and afraid to challenge others to perform to the best of their abilities.
I believe in being fair, upfront about what I’m thinking, and confronting situations before they become problems. And above all have fun while you’re at it. Having worked briefly with Joe, I know that creating a fun yet professional environment enabled him to work well with his people on a daily basis.
See you at the next Ball State football game?!
Thanks, Dave. I’ll see you at the game.
I could not agree with you more, and in fact, is the whole basis of our training here at Olinger. We call it T.E.A.M. Training and Execution Accountability Management. It is a way that we are ensuring our people understand what is expected and that they will be held accountable for those expecations. Our Managers are then trained to Coach our folks on how to get there. Proving to be very successful!
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