Leesburg SHRM April 2011 © 2010 Sharon Armstrong and Associates and Workforce Learning LLC Performance Appraisals: Blunders, Bloopers & Brilliance: 10 Strategies for Success Presented by Sharon Armstrong Sharon Armstrong and Associates And Alice K. Waagen, Ph.D. Workforce Learning LLC

© 2010 Sharon Armstrong and Associates and Workforce Learning LLC Performance Management Cycle 1) New Employee Orientation 2) Training and Development Plan 3) Regular Coaching and Mentoring 4) Annual Performance and Development Review 5) Annual Salary Review

© 2010 Sharon Armstrong and Associates and Workforce Learning LLC What is a Performance Appraisal? One of the most important responsibilities of a manager An ongoing process, not a one-time event A culmination of mini-meetings between manager and employee during the entire performance period An objective way of determining the quality of an employee’s performance in accordance with predetermined expectations A tool for clarifying present expectations, setting new expectations and developing new responsibilities Part of an entire Performance Management Process

Let’s Get Started … What is one word that describes your most memorable performance appraisal? © 2010 Sharon Armstrong and Associates and Workforce Learning LLC

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10 Strategies for Success 1.Drop the word “annual” from your planning process 2.Admit that appraisals will always have an element of subjectivity to them 3.Annual and midyear are the MINIMUM number of conversations managers should have on performance 4.Make managing performance a shared responsibility between managers and staff 5.Beware of making links between Performance Appraisals and compensation / salary increases © 2010 Sharon Armstrong and Associates and Workforce Learning LLC

10 Strategies for Success 6. Plan & Prep 7. Meeting Magic 8. Discussion & Dialogue 9. Wrapping it Up 10. Kick Start the New Year © 2010 Sharon Armstrong and Associates and Workforce Learning LLC

Annual Plans In today’s chaotic world, plans have the “shelf life” of a few months at best Performance plans need to be reviewed and revised at least quarterly Good performance plans are a decision support tool and guide time management © 2010 Sharon Armstrong and Associates and Workforce Learning LLC

Appraisal Subjectivity The WHAT of performance plans should be as objective as possible The HOW of performance appraisal will always have an element of subjective judgment Assessing and providing feedback on both the WHAT and the HOW is criticial © 2010 Sharon Armstrong and Associates and Workforce Learning LLC

More than Once a Year Assessing performance is not an event It is part of an ongoing process of feedback and coaching When we focus communication solely around when forms are due, we create the belief that those are the only performance conversations that are needed © 2010 Sharon Armstrong and Associates and Workforce Learning LLC

Shared Responsibility Managing performance should be a collaborative partnership between managers and staff Have staff draft their own goals and perform self-assessments Managers then become more guides and coaches than bosses © 2010 Sharon Armstrong and Associates and Workforce Learning LLC

Appraisals and Compensation With merit pools / salary budgets so small, linking pay with performance can be troublesome Focus on the purpose of performance appraisals being improving performance not as a way to make pay decisions © 2010 Sharon Armstrong and Associates and Workforce Learning LLC

5 Components Performance Appraisals 1) Planning & Preparation 2) Starting the Meeting 3) The Discussion 4) Closing the Meeting 5) Follow-up

© 2010 Sharon Armstrong and Associates and Workforce Learning LLC Planning and Preparation

© 2010 Sharon Armstrong and Associates and Workforce Learning LLC Planning & Preparation Familiarize yourself with the form and the ratings Think about the goals each employee has been working on Collect objective information Fill out the form privately Be sure to add specific examples Plan your discussion in detail Schedule the meeting

© 2010 Sharon Armstrong and Associates and Workforce Learning LLC Meeting Magic / Starting the Meeting

© 2010 Sharon Armstrong and Associates and Workforce Learning LLC Starting the Meeting Conduct a warm-up/set the tone Outline what you want to cover Clearly explain the purpose/importance of the meeting Allow the employee sufficient time to read Encourage the employee to participate in the discussion

© 2010 Sharon Armstrong and Associates and Workforce Learning LLC Discussion and Dialogue

© 2010 Sharon Armstrong and Associates and Workforce Learning LLC The Discussion Talk about the purpose of the position Go over the ratings Start with the positives Ask open ended questions Discuss areas where performance falls short Listen Work for understanding

© 2010 Sharon Armstrong and Associates and Workforce Learning LLC Wrapping it Up / Closing the Meeting

© 2010 Sharon Armstrong and Associates and Workforce Learning LLC Closing the Meeting Summarize what was discussed Settle on a plan for the future Write goals together Offer your help Close on a friendly note

© 2010 Sharon Armstrong and Associates and Workforce Learning LLC Kick Start the New Year / Follow-up

© 2010 Sharon Armstrong and Associates and Workforce Learning LLC Follow-up Follow-up on commitments you've made Review your notes and evaluate yourself Begin observations for the next performance discussion

© 2010 Sharon Armstrong and Associates and Workforce Learning LLC Coaching

© 2010 Sharon Armstrong and Associates and Workforce Learning LLC “Lack of feedback is the number one reason for performance problems.” – Leigh Branham

© 2010 Sharon Armstrong and Associates and Workforce Learning LLC F = Frequent A = Accurate S = Specific T = Timely Positive Feedback 100 mph

© 2010 Sharon Armstrong and Associates and Workforce Learning LLC Redirection Feedback B = Behavior E = Effect E = Expectation R = Result

© 2010 Sharon Armstrong and Associates and Workforce Learning LLC “People say that motivation doesn’t last. Neither does bathing – that’s why we recommend it daily.” – Zig Ziglar

More on Motivation… The Enthusiastic Employee (David Sirota et al) 1. To be treated equitably 2. Achievement 3. Camaraderie © 2010 Sharon Armstrong and Associates and Workforce Learning LLC

More on Motivation… Drive: The Surprising truth about What Motivates Us (Dan Pink) 1. Autonomy 2. Mastery 3. Purpose © 2010 Sharon Armstrong and Associates and Workforce Learning LLC

More on Motivation… The Three Signs of a Miserable Job (Patrick Lencioni) 1. Anonymity 2. Irrelevance 3. Immeasurement © 2010 Sharon Armstrong and Associates and Workforce Learning LLC

Questions?

© 2010 Sharon Armstrong and Associates and Workforce Learning LLC Sharon Armstrong has over 20 years of experience as a Human Resources consultant, trainer and career counselor. Since launching her own consulting business in 1998, Sharon Armstrong and Associates, she has consulted with many large corporations, small businesses, and individuals. She has facilitated training, completed HR projects and provided career transition services for a wide variety of clients in the profit and non-profit sectors. She is known for her ability to listen compassionately, ask relevant questions and offer guidance that reflects her wealth of knowledge of the business world and career issues. Her easy-going style and responsiveness are instrumental in establishing rapport with her clients. Sharon received her Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Southern Maine and her Masters Degree in Counseling from George Washington University. She is a certified Professional in Human Resources (PHR). Sharon is the co-author of a humor book, published by Random House. Heeling the Canine Within: The Dog’s Self-Help Companion was published in Her first “serious” book, Stress-Free Performance Appraisals – Turn Your Most Painful Management Duty into a Powerful Motivational Tool was published by Career Press in July, Her next book, The Essential HR Handbook – A Quick and Handy Resource for Any Manager or HR Professional, co-authored with Barbara Mitchell, was published by Career Press in July, Her latest book, The Essential Performance Review Handbook was published in May, She has designed and conducted workshops on Supervisory Skills, Time Management, Delegating, Performance Management, Managing Your Boss, Effective Feedback and Behavioral Interviewing. For additional information, contact Sharon at:

© 2010 Sharon Armstrong and Associates and Workforce Learning LLC Alice Waagen, Ph.D. is president and founder of WORKFORCE LEARNING LLC., a leading provider of learning programs that support business strategies. Since earning a BS in Art Education from the New York State College at Buffalo, and MS and PhD degrees in Art Education from the Pennsylvania State University, Alice has been providing leadership development and executive coaching for numerous organizations in the Metro DC area. In the past three years, more than 150 leaders from 24 different organizations have graduated from Alice’s unique leadership development workshop series. Giving back to the community is also important to Alice. She currently serves on The Board of Directors for Habitat for Humanity, Northern VA as well as on the Advisory Board for Marymount University Reston Campus Graduate and Adult Education Programs. About Workforce Learning Workforce Learning LLC provides organizational learning consulting services for all sizes of organizations. Founded by Alice K. Waagen, PhD, Workforce Learning is in its 13th year of profitable business. The Workforce Learning‘s service offerings are tailored to the specific needs of each client. We approach each engagement as an opportunity to partner with our client on solving their challenges in workforce development. We bring to each engagement years of experience working with all kinds of business organizations: public and private, non-profit and government. Workforce Learning's services provide organizations with the skills, knowledge and experience to build a positive and productive work climate that supports the people side of business. Individual and organizational learning is our passion. We excel at providing programs and services that educate people who are knowledgeable experts of their chosen field or profession to be equally successful in their interpersonal relations at work. For more information, visit our website or contact us at or