Performance and Perception Peter E. Pylipow Tulsa Section – February 2019

Learning Objectives In this session you will: Become familiar with the four main drivers of how performance is perceived Develop an understanding of their components Be able to ask yourself which of these represent real opportunities for you Based on “Performance and Perception” from Quality Progress, Vol. 51, No. 7, July 2018, pp. 24-28. 2

“Waah! I didn’t get a good performance appraisal!” Genesis of the Article “Waah! I didn’t get a good performance appraisal!”

Resultant Feelings Undervalued Not fully appreciated Disheartened Demotivated 4

The Keys to Understanding It’s all about perception. The people providing input to your appraisal didn’t perceive the value of your work as highly as you did. Your contributions are valued relative to those of your peers. 5

Drivers of Perception Actual performance Working on the “right” things Visibility Style 6

Influence Diagram

Actual Performance First and most obvious driver What you delivered that can be measured or objectively assessed Examples – How much money did you save the organization? How much did you improve the outgoing quality level? Will be further discussed later

Working on the “Right” Things Know your current company metrics What are the hot projects driving their improvement? Are you on one or more of them? Examine your duties and shed unproductive assignments or tasks Go “above and beyond”

Visibility How much do people know about what you are doing? Present your work at management meetings. Send out e-mails summarizing results. Have hallway or lunchroom conversations. Tooting your own horn is a necessary part of the ballgame.

Visibility - External Involved with your ASQ section or other professional organization? Attend meetings or conferences? Volunteer in some way?

Style Style results from a combination of your personality and interpersonal skills. It is how you present yourself. Get some feedback – perhaps HR has a 360-degree tool. Can be hard to change but you can find something to work on.

Style Opportunities Able to really listen or do you talk at people? Articulate and able to get to the point? Treat people fairly and respectfully? Team player? Adaptable to change? Seen as positive or as a naysayer? Extroverted or introverted? Humorous, humble, arrogant, etc.?

Actual Performance – Time Management How much real time do you spend cranking out the work? Do you work the standard hours or extra hours? Take long lunches? Spend time chatting? Prioritization of life’s demands is a real, valid constraint .

Actual Performance - Efficiency Efficiency is driven by your technical knowledge and skills. Drivers are on-the-job experience and training. Take a class or attend a conference, do self-study, ask your boss or a more experienced employee for tips.

More on Efficiency How well you work with others and are able to drive a quick consensus vs. going around and around on an issue Delegation – if you have direct reports are you able to delegate effectively so you can focus on work more pertinent to your job level?

Career Ownership Nobody cares about you more than you. You must own your own career. Your boss has a staff of people – your peers and competitors – so you won’t necessarily get the best assignments or growth opportunities unless you ask for them. Do some different things each year, not the same work over and over.

Be a Leader and a Finisher Leadership and organizational skills play a big role in performance Do you take the initiative to get the ball rolling? Can you identify a project, set direction and corral resources? Fight through obstacles? Finish a project with a timely, profitable conclusion?

Leadership Made Simple Call a meeting Get the right people in the room Ask “What should we do about this?” Publish meeting notes Voila! You are seen as a leader!

Recapping - Drivers of Perception Actual performance Working on the “right” things Visibility Style 20

Influence Diagram

Summary There are many ways to view (perceive) the world and your contributions to it. There is no single or universal reality. Understand the drivers of perceived performance in the workplace and use them to your advantage. 22

Take-aways Through this session, you should have: Become familiar with the four main drivers of how performance is perceived Developed an understanding of the components of the four drivers Become able to ask yourself which of these represent real opportunities for you 23

Challenge Take three minutes to reflect on this presentation and jot down a few ideas to work on

Questions? Peter E. Pylipow ppylipow@its.jnj.com 25