One of the most common pitfalls concerns the way performance management system is linked to the compensation system, more specifically:

• A compensation systems is set up that rewards high performers based on a rating (often within a number of pay scales that are set up for various positions/levels)
• At performance management time, the manager assigns a rating to the employee
• The rating determines the salary / merit increase for that employee

At face value the above seems to work, yet when we talk to managers and employees alike that work in these systems, they frequently despise the performance appraisal. It becomes viewed as a burden for both sides, and does little to motivate. Why you may ask?

The reason is that somewhere between the actual performance and compensation, someone must make a subjective decision, and this is where the tension starts. Yes, if both manager and employee agree that an employee rates as a 3 on a 5-point scale, and that dictates a certain salary, then there is no problem. But too often the performance discussion consists of the manager justifying why a certain rating was given, while the employee attempts to justify a higher number. And no matter how much the manager keeps compensation out of the discussion, foremost on the employee’s mind is in fact his/her compensation, because they understand the link. Furthermore, the manager has just one view of performance, and employees know it.

Worse still, many organisations with such systems quickly realise that if too many people “perform” then the system has the capability to pay more compensation than the company can afford. Furthermore, some managers begin to give higher ratings just to keep salaries high, while others give only mediocre ratings as a general rule. What often follows is “normalization” – i.e. ratings are modified according to a normal distribution, resulting in a certain amount of high, medium and low performers. Now the poor manager must explain a rating to the employee that even he/she does not believe in!

In summary, the tail (compensation) begins to wag the dog (the performance discussion).

Consider this: For an employee to perform at his/her best, the review needs only to address a few simple things:

• What am I doing well?
• Where am I going?
• What do I need to improve at and how can I get there?
• What does the manager need to do to help me with the above?

Arguments about ratings serve only to detract from the above. Here are some simple guidelines that you can follow to avoid this pitfall:

• If you do use a performance rating system, ensure that it does not directly determine compensation – use it as just one input instead. Other inputs include cultural fit, risk to lose, future potential, market conditions with respect to pay for a given role, and overall company performance. While this may appear to be partly subjective, keep in mind that ratings are partly subjective too.
• Ensure that managers have the training and are held accountable to engage in productive and positive performance discussions with their staff on an ongoing basis. This must start right at the top – i.e. the CEO.
• Consider keeping feedback to the employee descriptive. Consider keeping the ratings out of the discussion and use them behind the scenes to help determine pay and to calibrate with other managers.
• If you use a rating system that is visible to employees, keep it very, very simple e.g.:
  • For quantifiable goals, such as delivery milestones or sales targets, use a 3 point scale (for example: did not meet expectations, met expectations, exceeded expectations). Don’t expect managers to consistently apply the difference between “Outstanding” and “Exceeds expectations” – they won’t, and it will lead to stress.
  • For behavioural goals, use a frequency-orientated rating (for example: never, sometimes, at every opportunity)
  • Stick to observable, one-dimensional indicators of performance. For example “Demonstrates planning and organization skills” is two-dimensional – what if the person is excellent at staying organized, but is dismal at forward planning?
• Ensure that managers get input from others that the employee works with before developing an evaluation of performance. 360-feedback is excellent option, particularly for evaluating management.

A recent study of 550, primarily senior-level HR professionals* revealed that performance management techniques for effective and less effective organizations are not very different. The study revealed that “The organizations getting the most impact from performance management are those that have strong leadership support and that execute well in differentiating performance and giving performance messages.” In other words, for a performance management system to work, it must encourage great manager–employee conversations.

Do you know how your employees feel about the performance management system that they operate with? What do they say in the hallways? Do you have trouble getting managers to complete them, and if so, why? People tend to procrastinate when they don’t like something. If you discover problems, don’t assume they can all be fixed with training – particularly if you suffer from the pitfall listed here. Develop you system so that above all else, it facilitates great manager-employee discussions and you will never look back.

*2007 State of Performance Study conducted by WorldatWork and Sibson Consulting

Kwela is a consulting company dedicated to developing the leaders and systems that will achieve your strategic goals.

• 60% indicated turnover and recruitment were among their top three challenges
• 40% felt a lack of leadership capacity would impact their organization significantly
• HR is becoming more complex, with issues such as measurement and metrics (35%) being added to the agenda

Despite these priorities, 72% said budget would stay the same or even decline

So how do we address these challenges?

No challenge is an island

There is no surprise that these trends are highly interrelated. Recruitment needs are directly impacted by turnover, high turnover is typically caused by low engagement, and engagement depends on leadership. Organizations expect to see measurable returns on their investments in leadership. It is metrics that will help HR’s secure the budget it needs. The only logical response to these challenges is to tackle these factors holistically.

Get the biggest bang for your buck

Start with leadership. Strong leadership improves retention and there’s plenty of empirical evidence to prove the value of leaders to business. An organization recently wanted to improve specific engagement survey items. Working with their leaders (from senior to first level), they had conversations that asked focused questions like, “Which survey items can you significantly impact?” Leader after leader said “most of them.”

You don’t need to break the bank

Surprisingly, you can build leadership capacity on a small budget. Here are some ideas:

Be selective. Many organizations are unable to put all their leaders through a development program. You can provide all your leaders with development opportunities, but handpick those who can impact business results the most to undergo a more extensive experience.

Bring it in-house. Instead of putting leaders through external and discrete developmental opportunities, bring leadership “in-house” by putting groups of them through a program. Since the cost of most development activities (e.g. a workshop) are fixed, put as many leaders as possible through a program to achieve economies of scale. Twenty people tends to be a good number.

Make it a process. Avoid one-off experiences – they’re ineffective. Stretch leadership development activity over six to eight months. This yields greater value by increasing the likelihood of real behaviour change.

Use experience. Adults learn best by doing. Create “assignments” that stretch leaders, such as action learning and cross-functional rotations, and ask the leader to mentor someone. All of this can be implemented at little or no cost.

Use peer coaching triads. While professional coaching is one of the most powerful development tools, it does drive cost significantly. Show participants how to implement self-directed peer coaching triads, and combine this with some professional coaching to create a powerful experience at greatly reduced cost.

But you do need to make an investment

How much would you expect to pay for a leadership development program that is tailored to your organization and includes core elements such as a custom 360-degree assessment, personalized leadership development plans, two to three skills training workshops, action learning, peer coaching, and ongoing feedback and measurement?

You might be surprised. A comprehensive program such as the one outlined above is not necessarily going to cost you an arm and a leg and the return on the investment to your organization far outweighs the cost.

The cost of a comprehensive leadership program delivered in-house typically runs in the range of $800 to $1,200 per participant, roughly one fifth of the cost of a similar institutional program.

So how do you know your money is well spent?

Measurement is key. Without robust measurement it is hard to determine whether your investment has been a sound one. An effective program should incorporate on-going measurement of both participant and overall results. Together these measures will give you an excellent view of the impact your program has had. In a developmental initiative that we’ve been involved in recently at Dominion Construction, every participant was confidentially rated by observers on changes the participant had made over time in their targeted leadership area. Ninety per cent were observed to be more effective.

In conclusion …

Be sure to approach leadership development strategically, be smart in your design to achieve cost savings and measure well to convince decision makers that you’re onto something.

Kwela Leadership is a member of 24 Carrot Learning – view their profile here.

I hope to inspire some of you to realize the gift hidden within you and give you the tools you need to spread that message and give new ideas and knowledge to make this world a little better for everyone. If you have a unique gift or ability, a book is the easiest way to spread that message to as many people as possible.

I would like to share with you the stories of some of the authors who I have helped to recognize their gift and spread the “word” with their published book.

One of those authors, Annie Hopper, has discovered a cure for Fibromalgia, MSC and Chronic pain syndrome and she is sharing her story to help other sufferers so that they can learn how she cured herself.  She hopes that if one sufferer can find a cure by reading her book, she has been successful in reaching out to other people who are going through the pain of the illness that once made her homeless.  Annie also offers workshops and since writing her book she has been able to spread her message to a much wider audience by giving radio interviews and being featured in the press.

Dr Daniel Scott is helping people to self-defend themselves in the workplace from verbal abuse with his book “Dr. Scott’s Verbal Self Defense for the Workplace.” He demonstrates how Neuro Linguistic Programming can be used against the workplace bully. His book will guide the reader through a detailed process of learning and practicing all the skills necessary to verbally defend themselves effectively in a professional manner. The exercises will include learning how to properly consider other people’s perceptions while still respecting and adhering to their own personal morals and principles, all within the structure and expectations of the company. Dr. Scott’s Verbal Self Defense for the Workplace is written primarily for general office workers and service industry staff; anyone who deals with individuals that become angry or confrontational with an organization’s employees and volunteers. He is providing a service to other people by helping them to overcome workplace bullying, something many of us have been the victim of. More information on this book at http://www.verbalselfdefensebook.com

Another example of a book that was written to help other people is “Care of the Caregiver” It is an easy-to-follow and practical working guide to help families and friends navigate the vital details of everyday life while caring for a loved one at home during a chronic or debilitating illness. When Lynn Longmuir’s husband Niall was diagnosed with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis in 1996, Lynn gradually found herself in a full time care-giving role with limited resources and no way of knowing how to deal with her own grief and pain. Taking care of someone you love is difficult and taking care of yourself in the process, without help, is practically impossible. After discovering how difficult to access and few resources existed for caregivers, she dedicated herself to ensuring that others in her situation have both the practical and emotional tools to be strong for themselves and their loved ones. Lynn is able to bring a voice of experience and compassion to this important topic. She can be found at www.careforthecaregiver.ca

Many entrepreneurs I know are inspiring and helping other entrepreneurs by offering insightful business leadership tools, sharing their knowledge to help. So ask yourself now…

• How will your story help others?  How can you be of service to others with your book?
• How can you help other people with the knowledge and experience you have?
• How can you best get that knowledge across so it is easy for the reader to understand?

If you would like more information on the InspireABook workbook system, classes or coaching, please visit Julie’s profile on our website.   Julie is running another workshop in Victoria, BC on March 6 & 7, 2010.

Good leaders enjoy challenge, and welcome opportunities to test their abilities and skills.  They create opportunities to succeed, and know that many successes will add up to great accomplishments.

Good leaders also create the kind of environment where others feel comfortable taking risks and experimenting, knowing that they are allowed and even encouraged to fail sometimes too, thereby creating more opportunities to learn and grow.

Remember, if you’re not seeking out challenges, being innovative, or finding new, more efficient ways of doing things, then you’re effectively moving backwards.  Why?  Because you can be sure that your competition will be looking for ways to grow, develop and improve themselves and their product and services.

Here are some ways you can add challenge and healthy risk-taking to your work:  look outside your organization for new ideas; ask why things are done a certain way, and never stop looking for a better way; look for opportunities to create “small wins”; encourage healthy risk-taking in others; and look for the learning opportunities in “failures”.

“Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.” – Robert F. Kennedy

Have you ever spent all day in a corporate training seminar that seemed really valuable at the time, but then a few months down the line you found that nothing had really changed? We’ve all been to these types of events, we’ve gotten some decent lunches out of it, but that’s about all.

Classroom training is important, but it will likely not change behaviour. The carefully structured Leader’s Edge program, in addition to training and individual coaching, provides you with follow-up and on-going assessment processes and assistance to ensure the development of positive, productive behaviour.

Research indicates that when participants know that surveys or other methods of measuring process are slated to occur 3 to 15 months from the date of a training program, a higher level of commitment is created. The Leader’s Edge program includes a series of self and group assessment and The Leader’s Edge experts will assess and share the data with participants in a manner of structured on-going learning.

That equals quantifiable data and processes to go back to in order to continue your leadership management or personal career training beyond your involvement in the program. Also, by engaging in a formal program you’ll create a support system for your employees who are in leadership positions.  Positive development-it’s ongoing!

The Leader’s Edge
The difference between Leader’s Edge and many of the other corporate training operations out there is that we rely on tested, practical and quantifiable ways to improve teamwork and efficiency in the workplace. Participants who come through the program approach their work with renewed purpose and applicable communication and productivity skills they put to use right away.

The biggest obstacle for writing your book always comes down to fear and ego, these are the top 3 objections:

• Is my story interesting enough?
• Will people be interested in reading it?
• Is my writing good enough?

When in reality you should be asking yourself:

• How can I be of service to others with my book?
• How can I help other people with the knowledge and experience I have?
• How can I best get that knowledge across so it is easy for the reader to understand?

Asking these tough questions up front will help you organize your book with the benefits to the reader always at the forefront of your outline.  The most challenging questions I always ask are at the beginning of my InspireABook™ workshops are:

1. Who is your reader? (i.e. age, sex, demographics, customers, friends, family or specific group i.e. cancer patients, entrepreneurs, parents etc,)
2. What will they learn by reading your book? (i.e. educational, inspirational, motivational etc)

Once you can answer these questions we have learnt the focus of your book and from here we organize your content to always reflect the lessons you want your reader to learn in a way it is easy for them to learn.

I’ll give you some specific examples from my clients in the next post – so stay tuned!

If you would like more information on the InspireABook workbook system,  classes or coaching, please visit Julie’s profile on our website.

What would it mean for the next generation if that was true?

I have heard it mentioned that in the next generation, the majority of parents will outlive their children.

Why is there so much dis-ease? What can be done?

I’d like to put forth a theory. This particular theory comes from my own personal experience. I am not a doctor or a scientist. However, I am an avid student of the human experience, most specifically my own.

My theory suggests that we are seeing so much dis-ease today because over the last 50-60 years our physical bodies have been introduced to toxins that our bodies are simply not able to process. While our bodies are amazing machines and are constantly in a state of detoxification, when we continue to put more toxins onto and into our bodies than our bodies can get rid of, we find ourselves in a state of over-toxification. The moment this happens we have set our bodies up for a state of dis-ease. Bruce Fife, N.D. in his book, “The Detox Book” states that “The underlying cause for all dis-ease is malnutrition, toxic accumulation and stress.” After twelve months of cleansing and detoxification in an effort to prove this statement true, I can attest to its accuracy. However, I also believe that there is something missing in this formula.

Have you ever wondered by Joe gets cancer and Mark gets diabetes and Susan ends up with Rheumatoid Arthritis? My theory further suggests that while we may physically set our bodies up for dis-ease, that in many cases, how a dis-ease manifests is determined by our emotional and spiritual health.

I’ve talked to hundreds of people from all walks of life about this theory and I’ve yet to come across someone who disagrees. I find this fascinating, and yet, sadly, not surprising. What I find fascinating about it is that so many people are seemingly in agreement and yet we still have such an incredibly high incidence of dis-ease. Why is this not surprising? With more than 80% of the North American population considered overweight, we obviously not yet at the point where we’ve gotten ourselves sorted physically, let alone emotionally or spiritually.

I have witnessed people who have taken a spiritual journey and become physically healthy as a result. Conversely, I have witnessed people making themselves physically healthy and finding themselves spiritually as a result. There is an intricate balance between the two, however, the first step for either approach is awareness and commitment. Awareness through education and a commitment to oneself that “I am worth it”.

Enjoying the Journey! ~Trish

Trish will be presenting on this subject on Wednesday, January 27th in Victoria, BC – more details at http://www.24carrotlearning.com/eventdetails.cfm?event=2767

Back in 1998 when I left England and started my journey around the world, I promised my 92-year-old grandma I would write letters to her every 2 weeks.  The next time she saw me was in 2001 when I came back for a visit.  She presented me with a suitcase full of my letters and postcards and told me “now write that book”

That planted the seed that maybe I could write a book, even though I had no writing qualifications.  I did not consider myself to be particularly good at grammar or spelling, but everyone kept telling me I had an interesting life and it would make a good book.  Anyway, I had heard how difficult it was to get your book published as a first time author and that seemed like a lot of hard work.

While I procrastinated my Grandma continued to receive my letters and I continued to travel.

In April 2005 I attended a workshop in Singapore on “how to write your book” and that turned out to be the inspiration and motivation I needed to get me started!  By the end of 2005 I was at the final editing stage and by Feb 2006 I self-published my book.I dedicated my book “A seven year journey around the world – discovering my passion and purpose” in memory of Bea, my grandma who inspired me to write my book.  Not only did she pass away before she saw the book in print, she didn’t even get to know I had actually started work on it, thanks to her.

Don’t let this happen to you!  Write your memoirs before its too late, write that fiction book you’ve been dreaming about, write that business book to promote your business and give you credibility, put all those poems and essays into a book, turn your thesis into a book!  Just start.

Remember, you don’t have to be an expert at grammar or spelling or sentence structure, that is what editors are for!  It is just up to you to tell your story from the heart and get started and take the time to educate yourself with the many resources available to make the task easy and enjoyable!

Once you have done the writing, or even in the process of doing the writing, invest in a weekend workshop to give you a system to make it easier and a process to help you turn that writing into a book.

Julie Salisbury is the creator of InspireABook.  If you would like more information on the InspireABook workbook system, take part in online classes or telephone coaching or want to jump start your book project with a writing retreat, please visit Julie’s profile on our website.

Do you feel like you are not being taken seriously?

When you are delivering information does your audience start to problem solve . . . when what you meant to do was give them answers?

Are you being held back in your organization or being passed by for a job or promotion?

Somewhere along the line you may have learned to believe that, as a woman, if you raise your voice an octave, or become ‘cute’ that you will magically melt the person in front of you and get what you want from them.  The problem begins if you make a habit of speaking this way and can’t let it go – or you never learned to bring your tone down and be business-like in the first place.

It’s the tone and inflection used as well as the words spoken.

This might work at home, but if this style is a permanent state of communication for you, it may be holding you back in business and that is when it becomes an issue!  It is easy to lapse into a voice that is comfortable for us – but how we talk to our family and girlfriends may not be appropriate for a business meeting.

If your voice and tone goes up at the end of every sentence it may imply to your listener that you don’t trust yourself or that you are uncertain of what you are saying.  It may also appear that you are looking for validation or approval.  If you are seeking a decision vs. seeking approval the question mark should come at the end when you ask “What are some possible solutions for this issue?”  If you have an implied question mark with your voice raising at the end of each sentence your audience won’t have confidence in what you are saying and it will seem as if you are constantly looking for something from them – when they are looking for something from you!

Imagine this example (the question marks imply a raised tone and inflection at that word so it seems like a question) “Those boxes(?) of inventory in the corner(?) You said you wanted to catalogue the contents (?) and I have an idea(?) We could create a workbook(?) in Excel (?) and create a spreadsheet for each box (?), and tape it(?) on the front of each box (?) so the staff will know what’s in them(?). Would that work for you(?).”

What is being said in this example is that you have a good idea for organizing your workplace – the words are right – it’s the voice and tone that are the problem.  The words coming out of your mouth are intelligent but your message and ideas become hard to hear in the words because of the questions (the inflection).

There is no denying that there are different voices we use, depending upon who we are with – don’t give up the fun kid voice you share with your close friends or family – you can speak to them however you want.  Do you have one friend that as soon as they phone everyone around you knows exactly who you are talking to because of the voice and words you use?  That’s okay!  But, if you want to be sent out to represent your organization (or represent yourself in business) you can have the greatest business suit and haircut on the planet and have all the right words prepared to say, but you must have a voice that can instill confidence in your listeners.  If you sound unclear or uncertain then your organization appears unclear or uncertain.  Regardless of how you look and the level of work you can produce, people may still doubt what you say because of how you’re saying it.

So, you are reading this and you are wondering … Do I do that?  Is this me?  How will I know? Many times we are operating on a sub-conscious level because we have done something for so long it seems normal to us (and even those around us).  A friend said the other day that her husband married her for her Scottish accent and now he no longer hears it – we become very accustomed to the people we are with the most.

Find someone you trust and ask them some key questions – this could be your friends or family, but probably more applicable would be someone from your workplace or a former professor or teacher.  If you are in a business networking group where you regularly speak, but you’re not getting any referrals from, ask someone that you have connected with there.  People that love you or work with you will never tell you something that they think might hurt your feelings – unless you ask.

Approach them and ask them clear questions such as:

• When I speak, what impression do you get?
• If you didn’t know me would you describe my speaking as assertive, young/mature?
• Do I sound like I know what I am talking about?
• Am I speaking with confidence about my subject?

Note of caution: If you are reading this article and know someone this applies to, don’t pass them this article unless they ask – we must remember to be gentle with each other and people need to see us kindly in order to take our advice or learn from us.  We can’t just tell people things because we believe it will help them – thinking kindly is about respecting someone – if they respect you they will ask you for your opinion.

If you don’t want to ask someone, recording yourself may be the best way to hear this in your own voice.  The next time you go to a business meeting ask for permission to record it on a small recorder – suggest that you want to take notes afterwards or record key points.  Then, listen to how your voice is compared to the rest of the people in the meeting/room.

• Does your voice go up?
• Are you pitched an octave or two above the rest of the contributors?
• Are you rushing through the words?
• Do you have cutesy little giggles?
• After you finish speaking are people giving you solutions?

Make sure that it’s a long enough meeting before you attempt this exercise because at first you will be very aware that the recorder is on but eventually you will lapse into your natural state.  If it isn’t a confidential meeting there are usually no issues – just make sure to ask for permission (oh, and make sure there is lots of time on your recording device).

If you think this is you then what can you do?

• When you speak don’t make what you say sound like a question – keep the inflection down or even at the end of your sentences.
• Take your voice down an octave.
• Keep recording yourself and note improvements
• Work up the courage to ask someone you trust
• Remember if you deliver your message in the form of a question you end up leading your listener to try and find solutions for you and what you have just told them – you will get completely off track and lose momentum for what you want to accomplish.
• Voice coaching can be a powerful business tool – it is not just for theatrical and musical performers.  Start thinking of your clients as your audience and you on the stage – get a standing ovation from them – or at least a sale!

Please remember that your high school voice can be appropriate – the only time you have to leave it behind is when it is stopping people from hearing your message, or stopping you from achieving all that you want to and CAN achieve.

Examples:

• High School Voice
• Business Voice

If you think you might be speaking in your high school voice and want some help with speaking in the business environment, Fiona Prince is a Communications Consultant who works from the premise that miscommunications are inevitable and that when we know how and why a miscommunication occurs, we are better able to manage it and get on with whatever project we’re working on. She provides workshops and one-on-one coaching.  Read more about Fiona at www.princeheron.com or contact her at 250.418.5982 or fiona@princeheron.com