As a leader, you are responsible for managing your team’s performance, which means providing clear expectations and consistent feedback. Of course, managing performance is not an easy task, but there are 5 steps you can take that will improve both individual and team success.
1. Make sure team members have clear performance expectations. Effective performance begins with the communication of expectations. Each person should be aware of the team’s goals and how their individual roles help meet these goals. They must also be aware of the standards for successful job performance. Team members need to be clear about their current strengths and weaknesses, and how they can improve weaker areas of performance.
two. Consistently provide positive and constructive feedback.. Feedback improves team members’ self-awareness about their performance. When effectively facilitated, it can provide an extremely powerful learning experience. Positive feedback refers to praise given to a team member regarding satisfactory performance. Constructive feedback consists of statements that describe unacceptable performance or problem behavior. While it is easier to give positive feedback, both are important for the feedback to serve as a learning tool. You can greatly improve the quality of feedback by applying the following 3-step model:
* Describe the behavior – “I observed/noted…”
* Describe the impact of the behavior – “I am concerned because…”
* Discuss how the problem will be addressed: “How can we solve this problem?”
3. Connect performance rewards to team goals. One of the most effective ways to improve team performance is to ensure that performance rewards (eg, merit raises, bonuses, and promotions) are directly tied to achieving team goals. Historically, this has been a problem with the implementation of team processes. Many organizations use teams and expect team results, but reward employees based on individual performance. That means employees can receive performance rewards even if the team doesn’t achieve its goals. There may be no better way to ensure team failure than to employ this type of reward process.. If team members know that they will be rewarded based on individual performance, even if the team falls short of its goals, they will have little motivation to try to be productive team members. On the other hand, if team members know that their rewards will be based entirely (or at least in part) on team results, there is significant motivation to engage in team-oriented behaviors and to work directly toward goal achievement. of the team. Therefore, one of your main jobs as a team leader is to make sure that the reward structure is based on team performance and not individual performance.
Four. Challenge inappropriate behavior and poor performance. Sooner or later, no matter how successful your team is, you will have to address a performance or behavior issue. While this is never an easy task, you can increase your chances of success by using the 3-step feedback model outlined above. Always focus on the behavior and how it can be improved.
5. Work with team members to identify acceptable values and behaviors.. Another step you can take to create a collaborative environment and improve team performance is to work with members to define team values and clarify expectations regarding team member behavior. This lets everyone know what is important and how team members are expected to act towards each other. It also lets everyone know how inappropriate behavior will be handled.