Objective Setting
Every employee needs to know what is expected of them. The objectives, goals, or deliverables should be clearly defined, measureable, have definite timelines and be achieveable. With all the above in mind the most important element in setting objectives is ensuring they are supporting the objectives of the company. Too often we see individual goals that are not aligned with company objectives! We help our clients ensure that good individual performance helps the company achieve their objectives.
Measuring and Monitoring
Once the objectives are set for a time period we help our clients put in place a process to regularly monitor every individual to ensure they are on track to achieve or surpass their goals. If they are headed for a shortfall the timelines allow for corrective action in a timely fashion to enable the goals to remain insight. This involves regular communication with each individual about the performance objectives coupled with a proper tracking mechanism to measure performance against objectives. At the end of a period the review is a summary of all the conversations that took place along the way. The real focus of a performance review is the forward looking component – what are we going to achieve next period, what resources are necessary and how does this support the company objectives!
Cultural Fit
In developing performance appraisal documents one of the most overlooked components of an employees contribution is whether they are actually a positive contributor to enhancing the culture of the organization. Do they embrace and support the values of the company? Often, regardlesss of quantitative goals achieved, if an individual is not supportive of the culture of the company, they still may not be a good long term fit for the organization.
Improvement Plan
Each individual in an organization regardles of role and tenure benefits from continuous improvement. Whether the person is a fast tracking rising star, a long term member of the team in a defined role or senior executives – all need to embrace an attitude that they can always be better. Companies that have more structured improvement planning and that support continuous improvement with training, development, mentoring and education, are the companies that evolve into top quartile organizations. They have regular improvement plans for every individual and document these while monitoring progress.