On The JobPerformance Appraisal and a Job Well Done, Part 2

Determine What is Important and What Incentives Exist

A strategic plan should contain marketing objectives for the firm, including their priority and expected performance levels for the department. Absent a strategic plan for the firm, you, as the staff leader, determine what must be done for the department to function effectively in the firm's best interests. These priorities will be where the conversation about individual positions starts.

You also have the responsibility for identifying what rewards are within your control and to what extent. These might include access and sponsorship for training or special educational opportunities, new or expanded responsibilities, time off or other work schedule accommodations, recognition and bonuses and/or raises. Make as complete a list as you can, but only include things that you can deliver.

You'll want to develop your own approach to the system. Mine is to break larger responsibilities down into small segments, have an exact deadline for each and to set a minimum level of accomplishment (“you'll keep your job”), a stretch goal (“you'll get my applause”) and a challenge goal (“you'll get your name in lights in the lobby”) for each task. You may want to develop a simple form to record these elements, but a form is not a rigid requirement. What's important is that you allow and facilitate the discussion of minimum levels of performance and attach reasonable incentives to accomplishment beyond the minimum levels.

Assign the Planning Work

Hold a group meeting to explain the system, its rationale and benefits to your staff. Then meet individually, explaining specific tasks and priorities you have for each staff person's work. Give him/her time to react to your ideas and ask questions. Agree at the end of the first meeting what tasks and objectives will be in the work plan. Set a follow up meeting for a week or two later.

The follow up meeting is when your staff person responds with a plan that includes all tasks and the various levels of performance as he or she best sees them. Discuss each one, cooperatively set the deadlines and performance standards and consider the incentives that he or she wants attached to each level of accomplishment. After this meeting, you'll want to get a final, revised plan for your file. It is important, not just symbolic, that you both sign the final plan.

Check In During The Year

Regular meetings to review the plan are essential; be prepared to renegotiate, reassign, remove and add performance objectives because circumstances and priorities change over time. At the end of the year, you will know without a doubt how well the department met its priorities and responsibilities. Chances are, you'll have reasons to celebrate.

You may find it difficult to get feedback from partners or administrators about your performance. Setting up a performance appraisal system in your own department will make your job easier.

The foundation of the system is having specific objectives for a position that set out the level of acceptable achievement for specific functions and tasks, and the metrics by which satisfactory accomplishment will be determined. Ideally, these flow from a firm's strategic plan, but the lack of one won't prevent you setting up a workable system among your staff.

The benefits of implementing a system are two-fold: you'll have a proactive agreement between yourself and each individual member of your staff of what to expect from them and what will motivate them towards satisfying these expectations; and you'll have a set of concrete performance objectives that allow both of you to know, continuously, how completely the expectations are being fulfilled.

Determine What is Important and What Incentives Exist

A strategic plan should contain marketing objectives for the firm, including their priority and expected performance levels for the department. Absent a strategic plan for the firm, you, as the staff leader, determine what must be done for the department to function effectively in the firm's best interests. These priorities will be where the conversation about individual positions starts.

You also have the responsibility for identifying what rewards are within your control and to what extent. These might include access and sponsorship for training or special educational opportunities, new or expanded responsibilities, time off or other work schedule accommodations, recognition and bonuses and/or raises. Make as complete a list as you can, but only include things that you can deliver.

You'll want to develop your own approach to the system. Mine is to break larger responsibilities down into small segments, have an exact deadline for each and to set a minimum level of accomplishment (“you'll keep your job”), a stretch goal (“you'll get my applause”) and a challenge goal (“you'll get your name in lights in the lobby”) for each task. You may want to develop a simple form to record these elements, but a form is not a rigid requirement. What's important is that you allow and facilitate the discussion of minimum levels of performance and attach reasonable incentives to accomplishment beyond the minimum levels.

Assign the Planning Work

Hold a group meeting to explain the system, its rationale and benefits to your staff. Then meet individually, explaining specific tasks and priorities you have for each staff person's work. Give him/her time to react to your ideas and ask questions. Agree at the end of the first meeting what tasks and objectives will be in the work plan. Set a follow up meeting for a week or two later.

The follow up meeting is when your staff person responds with a plan that includes all tasks and the various levels of performance as he or she best sees them. Discuss each one, cooperatively set the deadlines and performance standards and consider the incentives that he or she wants attached to each level of accomplishment. After this meeting, you'll want to get a final, revised plan for your file. It is important, not just symbolic, that you both sign the final plan.

Check In During The Year

Regular meetings to review the plan are essential; be prepared to renegotiate, reassign, remove and add performance objectives because circumstances and priorities change over time. At the end of the year, you will know without a doubt how well the department met its priorities and responsibilities. Chances are, you'll have reasons to celebrate.