Raising Performance through People

Spring 2012

John Bull Management Futures in Partnership with OD & HR Shared

Service

Outcomes for the session• To give you a clear insight into the defining characteristics of high

performance cultures, and the leadership behind them

• Challenge and help you think about what you can do to improve the level of engagement and performance culture in your own team– Collectively, and with each individual through the upcoming reviews

• Explore and practice 3 key skills– Powerful coaching questions – helping people to reflect on and take

responsibility for their own performance and development, and drawing out their ideas on how we can maximise our performance going forward

– Goal setting– Feedback, including around their grade

“The environment we create as leaders/managers profoundly affects how

people behave and perform”A choice of leadership approaches and the impact of each on motivation, creativity & performance

1. Laissez FaireA pleasant leadership style but one which gives little direction– No clear leadership on vision, strategy or standards– Leaves people/structures largely to themselves– Avoids conflict or confrontation

2. AuthoritarianA stern I-know-best style where people are told what to do, little involvement…– Goals, standards and direction on ‘how to’ handed down from leadership– Little input into the strategy– Focus is on supervising/managing implementation

3. Achievement LedEnsures clear direction, high standards, involves people and builds responsibility– Leadership engages everyone in a common aspiration– Creates a performance culture of ambitious goals, standards & feedback to

drive learning– Performance achieved through responsibility and accountability at all levels

A fundamentally different approach to leadership Thinking about our own style and how we need to develop it

Laissez FaireLaissez Faire AuthoritarianAuthoritarian

Achievement ledAchievement led

6 ingredients which will transform a performance culture

1. Engage people around a clear purpose/vision & set of ambitions• Translated into 3-5 key measures we are trying to make a difference to• Note: Engagement is also about a connection between the organisation and an individual – they need to

feel valued and that they are treated fairly

2. Clarity of focus• Performance insight; Identify the key leavers that will enable you to transform performance i.e. what we

should focus our energies on to maximise performance• Ensure each individual understands how they can contribute to this

3. High standards – require people to be excellent• Challenge (and inspire) people to try and become the very best they can be, recognising and building on

strengths, as well as getting them to address any weaknesses• Set the highest possible standards in key areas of performance; creating a culture of innovation and

continuous improvement in always striving to be better

4. Autonomy around clear outcomes – liberate the talents of your people• Give responsibility and autonomy• Invite their contribution and welcome challenge• Using coaching skills to draw out and develop their thinking, and develop responsibility

5. Accountability and feedback• Constantly review performance against outcomes & measures - to maintain focus, drive learning and build

momentum

6. Make teamwork a defining strength • Get clear on where teamwork can add real value to performance, and hold people collectively accountable

… … Performance reviews provide a brilliant opportunity to work on all of thesePerformance reviews provide a brilliant opportunity to work on all of these

5

Key leadership qualities and skills• High standards, ambition and drive

• Ability to engage people behind the goals – Gives clear direction– Ignite ambition in others and build confidence

• Performance insight – Ability to distil into a clear and simple strategy what success depends on

• Coaching mindset– Believes in people’s potential and sees role as leader to unlock that potential– Delegates responsibility

• Exceptional coaching skills– For drawing out and developing people's ideas and talents

• Facilitating reviews – skilled and disciplined approach to facilitating reviews to drive momentum and learning

• Feedback skills– Gives frequent recognition/positive feedback– An ability to challenge people and give difficult feedback in a way that inspires rather than invokes

defensiveness. Willing and effective in challenging poor performance.

• Getting people to work together– able to pull people together around common goals, and create an environment where collaboration is a defining strength

• A never ending commitment to keep developing their own leadership skills – self aware of their effectiveness and impact, open to feedback, aspire to be exceptional

The purpose of performance reviews…1. To facilitate and draw out learning from the previous 12 months

– Around what has worked, what hasn’t, blocks or issues we need to address etc.– Around the most useful focus for their future development as an individual– Around your effectiveness as a line manager – what’s working, & how you can improve

2. To recognise/acknowledge individual efforts, contributions, areas of improvement

3. To help people accurately assess how we’re performing as a team, and how they’re performing as an individual themselves

– Confronting performance issues in an honest, straight forward but positive way– Confident discontent is the ideal attitude at the heart of performance cultures

4. To (re)energise people about the work we do and the year ahead– (Re)connecting to the purpose of our work (giving meaning to what we do)– Engaging and energising them behind the teams goals and challenges - creating ‘positive performance

pressure’– Making sure they feel a valued part of the effort

5. To ensure clarity of focus going forward– Focusing individuals on where they can best contribute to the teams goals and priorities; including drawing out

their own thoughts on this– Providing a clear basis for future reviews, to help them (and you) assess their performance– Striking an optimal balance between the level of challenge (in their goals, responsibilities) and their capability &

confidence – using coaching to build confidence by thinking through any challenges

The flow of an effective performance review

1. Upfront rapport & getting people in the right frame of mind for a great conversation

checking in with people and acknowledging their feelings Setting out the purpose and different parts of the discussion

 

2. Review of the last 12 months: Recapping on outcomes – team and individual Drawing out their reflections [powerful review questions] Giving your feedback [positive and challenging] Seeking feedback on your management and leadership

3. Looking forward to the next 12 months – performance outcomes (outputs) Setting out/recapping on the teams outcomes and measures, and how we’re performing Two way discussion around how they can best contribute to these Agreeing responsibilities and goals (focusing on outcomes not activities) Discussion around what they plan to focus on to maximise their impact on these outcomes (strategy) Agreeing milestones for next 3 months, and how we will review

4. Development goals (inputs) Highlighting new areas of knowledge or skill we all need to excel at Getting from them what they want to challenge themselves to develop Your challenge around current or potential strengths you think they can excel at Weaknesses/blind spots they need to address Agreeing milestones for next 3 months

Best practice principles for performance reviews

1. Focus should be on a constructive dialogue, not on the process/system (but a good system will help focus this discussion)

2. Discussion should be a two-way dialogue, not top down assessment

3. The meeting should balance past review with future planning

4. Future focus should address a. Performance outcomesb. Strategy – i.e. clarity around what they will focus on to achieve these c. Development objectives, to improve their effectiveness and capability

5. The annual review session is only part of a wider process of ongoing high challenge, high support coaching conversations to focus and maximise performance

The performance management cycle

Formal/structuredReview

Set goals- Output (performance)- Input (development)

Ongoing performance coaching

OpenDialogue

Challenge& Support

Four key components of effective performance

conversationsA clear outcome

Putting forward

Your view

Seeking to

understand their

view

Coaching

3 key areas of skill…

1. Powerful coaching questions

2. Goal setting

3. Feedback, positive and negative

– & including feedback on their ‘performance

grade’ as a key part of differentiating

performance

Introduction to coaching- Questions around an issue

• What would be an ideal outcome?

• What could you do to move this forward?– Draw out as many options as possible

• What, if anything, is stopping you?– How can you address this?

• What relatively simple action could you take to move this forward?

The key skills of coaching approach

• Building trust and rapport– Creating an environment where people feel

comfortable opening up and exploring challenging questions

• Powerful questions– Questions which open up new insights, lines of

thinking or a commitment to action

• [Deep] Listening

What makes a powerful coaching question?

Good:• Open

• Short and clear

• Start with ‘What...’ or ‘How...’

• Takes their thinking to a new and useful place

Avoid:• Leading - advice in disguise

• Multiple questions

• Questions that only require the coachee to state what they are already aware of (information gathering)

Criteria of an effective goal

• Focus on positive outcomes (what we want), not activity (the how)

• Specific and measurable

• Creates positive performance pressure – optimal balance between challenge and capability

• Underpinned by clear thinking on how they can influence it (i.e. their plan of action)

BIFF structure for effective feedback

1. Behaviour• What it is you want to raise the persons awareness

of &/or get them to change

2. Impact• Describe the impact it has on you & others

3. Feelings • How you feel about it – defuses your own emotional

response and demonstrates importance

4. Future• What you want them to do differently

Principles underpinning effective performance differentiation

• The ultimate (long term) goal for every individual should be to achieve a ‘4’– But honest feedback is critical in giving each individual accurate feedback on where they

are against a standard of excellence– It is essential to the performance culture of the team as a whole [A big range in

performance, unchallenged, undermines a positive performance culture]

• Preparation is critical – review goals and gather evidence

• Get clear on the story behind the grade you want to focus them on• E.g. Their potential to perform at a much higher level; or the improvement this grade

represents

• Delivering your feedback of the grade:– Get their view 1st, and explore their thinking behind this (opening listening to understand,

not trying to put your views/judgements across)– Then share your assessment, and your rationale behind it – relating your own thoughts and

evidence to what they shared where applicable

• Be honest and straight forward in your feedback (people need to be able to honestly assess their performance against a high standard)

• Try to move people on (through coaching) to how to move this forward over the next year