Management Skills for Communicators MODULE 2: MAXIMIZING THE PERFORMANCE OF YOUR TEAM Angela Sinickas, ABC angela@sinicom.com 22365 El Toro Road, Ste. 139, Lake Forest, CA 92630 TEL: 714/277-4130 FAX: 714/242-7049

Diagnosing and handling performance issues Aptitude x Training x Resources = Desire x Commitment = Performance = Ability x Motivation Source: Whetten & Cameron © 2016, Sinickas Communications, Inc.

When to coach or when to counsel people with a performance problem Coaching (“I can help you do this better): the manager passes on advice/information or establishes standards or expectations for a staffer who generally already knows there is a problem Counseling (“I can help you recognize that a problem exists”): usually stemming from attitudes, personality clashes, defensiveness and other emotional situations Source: Whetten & Cameron © 2016, Sinickas Communications, Inc.

Principles for providing negative performance feedback Focus on: Behavior, not the person: “Your copy has 6 grammatical errors,” not “You’re careless” Observations, not judgments: “Texting while I’m talking with you makes me feel you’re not fully listening to me,” not “How rude can you be?” Specific, recent examples, not abstraction about past behavior: “In the meeting today, you said…,” not “Why are you always such a goofball during serious discussions?” Their suggested solutions, don’t give advice: “What ideas do you have for fixing this?” not “Starting today, I want you to….” Bite-sized chunks, not laundry lists: Deal with one issue in a discussion, not several or the person will tune out Providing value, not just releasing your own frustrations © 2016, Sinickas Communications, Inc. Source: Whetten & Cameron

What do your employees want from work? Don’t guess, ask them! The most meaningful incentives will depend on an employee’s values: family, health, economic security, wealth, personal development, challenge, expertise, achievement, advancement, recognition, fame, loyalty, responsibility, friendship, affection, integrity, self-respect, freedom, etc. Source of potential values: Blessing White © 2016, Sinickas Communications, Inc.

Possible worksheet for assessing a job’s fit with an individual’s values Importance to the employee (1-5) Current job’s fulfillment of values (1-5) Alternate job’s fulfillment of values (1-5) Friendship 1 4 2 Family 5 Adventure 3 Freedom Achievement Responsibility Wealth Current job scores “11” for this person’s most important values; alternate job would score “17” © 2016, Sinickas Communications, Inc. Worksheet inspiration: Blessing White

Potential incentives for motivating communication staff Working on a cross-functional task force Presenting a report to senior leaders Working in a different country Taking a lead role in a new project Praising work in front of a senior leader Working from home some days Submitting their work for industry awards Providing more autonomy in decision-making Professional development, tailored to the individual Asking them to speak at a professional conference Asking them to develop a new communication approach Put them in charge of organizing a leadership event © 2016, Sinickas Communications, Inc.

The COP model of peak work experiences Being highly Competent at skills and behaviors that you spend most of your time doing (e.g., being at the 90th percentile of a peer group) Working in an Organization that needs and values those skills and behaviors Having Passion for doing those skills and behaviors (e.g., you lose all sense of time when you’re “in the zone”) All 3 must be present at the same time for the peak experience of empowerment and engagement—where you go from good to great Source: Zenger & Folkman © 2016, Sinickas Communications, Inc.

The COP model of peak work experiences Organization needs Competency Sweet Spot Passion Source: Zenger & Folkman © 2016, Sinickas Communications, Inc.

The COP model of peak work experiences Organization needs Competency Without passion for doing what you’re good at and what the organization needs, work is boring and the person is miserable Source: Zenger & Folkman © 2016, Sinickas Communications, Inc.

The COP model of peak work experiences When you don’t feel your organization needs what you’re good at and feel passionately about, the person feels unappreciated and will likely not be paid as well as they could be in a different organization that does value those skills Competency Passion Source: Zenger & Folkman © 2016, Sinickas Communications, Inc.

The COP model of peak work experiences When your competency is low on the type of work that you feel passionately about and the organization needs, the person will be motivated, but will not perform well without additional training and development—or might never perform well Organization needs Passion Source: Zenger & Folkman © 2016, Sinickas Communications, Inc.