The New Performance Environment - Performance Connections
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Let's get straight into what a performance connection accomplishes.
New Expectations
Expected Accomplishments
Expected Challenges
Opportunities to Accelerate or Change
Barriers to Success
What’s Next to Accomplish Success
You should be able to articulate all of these after each performance connection.
Now imagine it's 1999 and you're a young buyer for an up and coming retailer. You just had your first annual review and had glowing remarks from your three different superiors. You have met all your annual goals and have been spot on with the purchases for your first 8 months on the job. Your're told, "Just keep doing what you're doing!" And that's what you do. Over the entire next year you continue what had made you such a company hit in your first annual review. You have been riding high from that review and are looking forward to your second annual review, only this time you are completely caught off guard. The same superiors that had been singing your praises last year are now utterly dissappointed with the work you have done over the past year. How could this be? You did exactly what you were told to do and hadn't been told anything to the contrary. You're told that you just aren't performing like you have been expected to and you need to pick it up. Six months later and you're let go. Not only do you have to go in search of a new job, but the retailer that put the initial effort into you to train you now has to spend time and resources to find and train a new buyer. It's a lose-lose scenario.
Could this have been prevented? Absolutely. This young buyer didn't all of the sudden lose her ability to purchase efficiently and effectively. A lack of communication and feedback is what created this scenario, a costly disservice to both the employee and the employer.
And this is where the performance connection comes in.
The old performance management model of the manager setting goals, establishing expectations and giving semi- and or annual performance reviews with little or no feedback along the way is an ineffective performance model, and it has been for over 40 years. It is your performance and your career, and now it is time to take control of it. It is time to flip the performance model. True performance is all about clarity, alignment, action and feedback. We do this by establishing and leading ongoing performance connections with our superiors.
Truly sustaining that next level of performance success in this complex and ever-changing business environment requires ongoing performance connections, not just once or twice a year review cycles.
These connections are employee-led, not manager-led, and consist of 15 to 20 minute conversations, held every four to six weeks. They establish an ongoing dialogue of feedback focused on performance clarity, alignment and accountability, with a goal of mutually agreed upon performance expectations.
If you invest time in conducting these performance connections consistently and frequently there should be no surprises at the end of the year. You gain and provide clarity along the way and you ensure that you stay aligned and connected on your performance. In the end, you and your leader should leave with greater performance clarity, complete alignment, clear accountability on your commitments, and an understanding of what to expect and the future desired impact. You walk away from each connection with all of the items mentioned at the beginning, answered.
Always remember, it's your performance and your career. You can take control of it.
And for more detailed information about how to lead your own performance be sure to check out our Lead Where You Are book or online training! Both have greater insights and give you an actual plan to begin leading where you are.