It is great to have people in the team who perform really well. One of the goals of a good manager is to encourage and develop all staff to support good performance and hence achieve good results.
Definition of a good performer
What is a good performer? A good performer is just that, consistently performs well across a range of tasks and without any real concerns about how they work, the quality of work they deliver and their ability to meet deadlines and achieve goals. My definition of a good performer is someone who does not have any significant downside or drawbacks in their work. A characteristic of a good performers is self-motivation and they want to be able to get on and do a good job. Sometimes managers need to get out of the way and let them get on with it.
Approach to review and development
Because of the high intrinsic motivation of good performers recognition and praise must be done well.
Giving feedback to the good performer. At performance review and feedback time, the good performer wants suggestions about ways to improve. Often good performers make suggestions for their own self-improvement and this can make it hard as a manager to add value.
A number of times over the years good performers have asked me ‘how do I get real feedback on my performance? My manager keeps telling me I am doing well. I’m not getting suggestions for ways to further develop.’
For those managing good performers it might be that this is true – they are doing a great job and there aren’t obvious or significant areas for improvement. But that isn’t helpful for a good performer as they often want to keep developing and learning.
A suggested approach to a development and review meeting with a good performer. This approach is still led by the staff member with value being added by you.
- Prior to the meeting ask the person to list:
- their achievements in the past year
- their lessons learned in the past year
- their strengths and development needs
- their professional and personal goals for the coming year
- At the start of the meeting confirm successes and achievements by asking the team member to review their list
- Ask which achievements the good performer is most proud of
- From your list, add any other achievements or mention the importance of the big achievements in terms of business goals or overall team objectives
- Seek feedback on the learning and development that the good performer has had as a result of their successes and achievements as well as development achieved from any development plan
- Identify further development opportunities by seeking suggestions from the good performer against their objectives for the coming 12 months
- Seek to identify and agree on projects, work assignments and other development activities that support their professional and personal development goals
- Follow-up on the agreed actions in regular review conversations. Set review dates and ensure they are kept.
Providing feedback to the good performer
Here is a suggestion for recognising the work of a good performing staff member:
I know that this project you have just completed is typical of the high standard of work you do, and I want to tell you how much I value the consistently high quality work that you take care and effort to complete. Not only does it do you credit, it makes my job easier because I can rely on the quality of work you will deliver and it reflects well on the work of the team. This project has enabled us to improve service to our colleagues and achieves or business goal for capability development.
The principle behind this approach is that good performance is part of what the person does and isn’t confined to a specific project or task. Indeed, for strong performers, being given feedback that they have done well may elicit an internal response of ‘of course I do a good job’. Worse, praising them for trivial tasks or routine work can be offensive and off putting, that is why there is a strong emphasis on acknowledging the high standard of their work and the impact and results in this approach.
Coaching the good performer
Here are some coaching questions that could be useful for development conversations with good performers:
- What accomplishments are you are most proud of?
- What work has provided you with the biggest stretch?
- What further challenges would you like to take on?
- What do you see as your greatest strengths?
- How can you continue to build those strengths?
- What aspects of your work do you find most interesting?
- What new skills do you want to learn and what projects might work for you to develop these skills?
- How will you be able to maintain a sense of success and achievement in your work?
- What next steps do you want to take that support your overall career goals?
- How can you continue to build self-awareness and identify areas for personal growth?
Let’s hear your views
- What have you done to successfully manage good performers?
- If you are a good performer, what approach to feedback and development works best for you?
If you would like more information about “Managing Good Performance“, RMHRC trains in this area.