Enabling Performance – quality or quantity?
Published: March 20, 2025
We recently came across an article about how some organisations continue to use outdated and bureaucratic performance reviews of their employees. Whist some of these ‘appraisals’ are a genuine attempt to engage and motivate staff, others simply consider the process as a tick-box exercise and treat the individuals involved as mere numbers who can be ‘managed by objectives’
The article then went on to say that the bigwigs in management consulting are now recommending ‘drastic changes’ to the way performance reviews are constructed – focussing now on just two main goals:
- Higher Performance… REALLY?
- Employee Engagement & Development… AT LAST!
Let’s cover Higher Performance first. What does it even mean?
In this context, we assume ‘higher’ to mean increased, quicker, longer, more productive! The word ‘improved’ might be nearer the mark, but again, by what criteria? The word ‘optimised’ would surely be a better suggestion.… after all, performance can only be assessed once everything else of importance and value is attended to, i.e. the person is already fully engaged and on top of their role! If we can start by helping and supporting individuals and teams to be ‘on-top-of-role’, performance will happen naturally! Looking for performance first in a ‘higher/more, more, more’ context is simply unhelpful – if not damaging to morale, culture and, ultimately, business outcomes.
Why, oh why are these ‘so-called’ experts advocating (or reintroducing) management behaviours that were out of date 20 years ago?
At what point will businesses realise that you can’t squeeze blood from a stone? Put simply, do you want consistent, reliable and sustainable performance ‘quality’ from your employees…. or do you want a one-off or short burst of performance ‘quantity’ – along with the subsequent disengagement and burnout that goes with it?
When it comes to optimising performance, here’s a thing…. employees need to be ‘engaged’ first and to achieve that, employers need to start by engaging with them at a life level. What’s driving them inside and outside of work? What motivates them to get up and come into work each morning? .…(it’s rarely just money)! What makes people want to do a good job? Do each of your employees understand and appreciate the contribution that their role plays in the complexity of your business?
Managers and leaders need to help their employees understand the big picture and the functional importance of their role within it. Share vision and ambition…. you will be surprised at how much people will enjoy contributing and adding to those ideas – especially those with years of experience who have perhaps felt ignored previously! And most importantly, listen.
It is only when employees are genuinely engaged that leadership and management development is most meaningful and cost-effective.
In a nutshell, if you don’t engage in the higher values of individual employees and align them to the values of the organisation, ‘development’ simply becomes another training session that will eventually be forgotten, overlooked, or need repeating.
As an alternative to appraisals (or perhaps as an addition to), the most enlightened leaders and managers will already know how to get the best from their reports by adopting a coaching approach to management. Known as a ‘coaching culture’ or ‘coaching in the line’, this is a skill that allows managers to engage from the highest quality of the human experience day-in, day-out – and not wait until the next appraisal to pick up on the lottery of misalignment and underperformance. In a modern agile workplace and by adopting this mature style of leadership, at least 50% of a person’s development needs can be identified (and in many cases attended to) ‘in the line’ – where the line-manager can attend to employee needs ahead of time.
Our proven 1-day workshop: ‘Mastery In People & Coaching Skills’ is just one programme in our range of fundamental ‘flagship’ development workshops, for those who manage people in the workplace; and is available from just £395 + VAT per person (depending on numbers). Asking us to deliver this workshop to a group of your managers can also be used as a low-risk start to test-driving our service and as a start to embedding a coaching-culture into your organisation.
To find out more about the workshop content, click the link below. To get in touch, call on 01733 645001 or email: andrew.whittaker@enrichyou.co.uk
Mastery In People & Coaching Skills Workshop: [View/Print Brochure]
Share with friends:
