Take time to consider your approach
Employment relationships can be strengthened or weakened in performance discussions. If you become aware that an employee is not performing as well as they should be, it’s a good idea to take the time to consider your approach before you speak with them.
There are a variety of reasons for reduced performance. It could be a lack of co-operation from others, the complexity of the task, availability of resources and or support provided. Carefully consider your own leadership style e.g. Do you give clear directions? Have you been available to offer guidance?
Approach the conversation carefully, be respectful, ask questions, don’t make assumptions or jump to conclusions before you have listened effectively to the employee’s perspective.
If there is a need to develop performance, adopt an open-minded and consultative approach. People are able to change. People usually know what helps them to change and what stops them. Problems and difficulties may cause people to feel stuck and disempowered.
Every person has inherent strengths and talents. Consider how the person could utilise their strengths to support them to develop and or change.
What supports people to develop and change?
What can managers/leaders do to support people to develop and change?
Accountability for agreed performance development is important. Make sure the person follows through with the agreed development goals and that you do what you have promised to do. Timely and regular discussions to monitor and acknowledge progress are essential.
If someone listens, or stretches out a hand, or whispers a kind word of encouragement, or attempts to understand, extraordinary things begin to happen.
L. Gizartis
Your resources are always far greater than you imagine them to be. Never ask, “Can I do this?” Ask instead, “How can I do this?”
D. Zandra
Find out more…
Carol Malcolm is the Director of Workplace Success, a values-based HR Consultancy. Workplace Success develops values-based Human Resource Toolkits that give you the skills, expertise and resources to recruit, manage and lead your workforce successfully.
Thank you Carol for your honesty and sincerity, I enjoyed every minute of the session, it gave me hope. I will leave here today feeling better and more prepared for the week ahead.
Women’s Resource and Information Centre
“I have worked with Carol a couple of times; firstly as an employee of Saltwater Freshwater Arts Alliance when Carol introduced us to the values of the organisation and to our own personal values. This experience showed just how important values are in all of our lives, and not just within an organisation. Secondly, as Founder of Heart and Soul Foundation working with vulnerable women who have been through the trauma of domestic and sexual violence. I approached Carol to facilitate a personal values workshop as part of our ‘Enrichment Program’ in 2015. This was new information for these women and quite challenging but extremely rewarding as they realised that they could choose values to embed into all aspects of their lives. This is life changing, as the women create their values, this creates a solid foundation for their life to grow from. A life with stronger boundaries and more clarity about how they would like to live and who they will let in. Carol is an excellent facilitator, always considerate and thoughtful, bringing out the best in the people she is working with.”
Heart and Soul Foundation
Being an Aboriginal organisation, values are integral to the way that the Saltwater Freshwater Aboriginal Arts Alliance works. I have to say, the workshops that we did with Workplace Success were transformational to me personally as I had never really reflected on what my own personal values are and to extend that to defining how an organisation behaves was very powerful. Carol Malcolm worked with me and my staff to help define our own personal values and the organisation’s values to ensure that there was alignment.
A lot of organisations list respect, integrity and honesty as there values but fall short of truly integrating those values into their policies and practices. With Workplace Success, we implemented the Values-based Recruitment and Selection process and a Leadership program to ensure that our existing and incoming staff were aligned with the values and culture of the organisation.
Carol was a pleasure to work with. She worked very closely with me to deal with challenging HR issues professionally as well as in line with the organisation’s values.
Saltwater Freshwater Aboriginal Arts Alliance
Carol is a brilliant business professional who has exceptional skills, knowledge, energy and insight to successfully translate a business requirement into a values-based process that makes sense, has appealing creative direction and smart usability. The implementation of Carol’s process has enabled the MENtors Project to maintain highly positive outcomes for whatever challenge is thrown at us. What we appreciated most about working with Carol is her ability to keep it real, keep everyone happy and deliver the expected results and then some!
MENtors Project
Working with Carol and the Workplace Success Values – based Recruitment and Selection process was easy and helpful as it helped us to find the right person with the core values that are important to us. Thank you Carol.
Unkya Local Aboriginal Land Council
I have worked with Carol for around 15 years. She does an excellent job providing supervision and support to our senior staff and is a fantastic source of quality advice in regard to Human Resource issues.
Carol helped us to implement a Values- based Recruitment and Selection program and it has been one of the best things we have ever done! Since implementing the Values-based program we rarely have any staffing “mistakes”, which is testament to the recruitment program’s efficacy. I have always found Carol to be very professional and ethical with very reasonable rates. I can’t recommend Workplace Success strongly enough.
Nambucca Valley disAbility Services
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