Thoughts on Enterprise Social Media Protocols, Pt. 2

Star status is important to some and not to others. Knowledge that they've been part of the end product sometimes carries its own limelight. To cut the negative side of competitiveness, it's important to acknowledge the more significant contributions of certain members of the team. However, the leader also needs to recognize how the rest of the team contributed to reaching that plateau.

Secretiveness among members needs to be discouraged. If there's an offsite meeting or finding, the results need to be shared with those who could not be present. It's such bad form to have suspicion coloring what's done. It leads to mistrust and eventual exits that create delays in the project while the replacements are hired. And the project will then have to absorb at least some of the replacement costs of search, intake, training, and returning to the point where the team was before the loss of manpower.

Make certain systems work. If there's a malfunction, the basis for it needs to be discovered and disclosed so that it won't happen again and so that successors don't have to deal with it. The basis for the malfunction, once discovered, needs to be revealed so it can be avoided and personnel can feel as though their efforts are subject to being thwarted (i.e., a major waste of time).

If someone on the team is promised feedback, more information, asked to attend a meeting, they need to receive what they've committed to. Make it on time, or as close to on time as possible. They may be sitting on something that requires that bit of information; delay causes their part to either not be delivered or delivered late. Coming back to the team member for a meeting that's before the appointed time is the same as telling them their schedule has no value and that you feel they're simply sitting around with nothing to do and waiting for your precious presence. Don't come off as smug and self important.

Additionally, the team member may have quite a bit on their plate. Putting the meeting (whether in person, by phone or Skype, or some other mode) on their calendar and clearing out a point when they can give you their undivided attention allows them to keep their workflow moving and timely. A spontaneous change because one has jumped the gun or suddenly has an open slot in the day is quite simply selfish. Other priorities then get shifted to a different situation. Progress is thrown off to the point of having to be rescheduled to another day or may even be lost because there simply is no longer any time for the exercise. Keep appointments. If it can't be done and you realize it, reschedule for another time that is mutually convenient.

Now that we're in the 21st Century, people seem to forget some of the Web 1.0 netiquette we used to practice. There used to be these cute little abbreviations and initials that gave us clues, initials such as "afk" which stood for "away from keyboard" (a tactful way of saying I need to get something, put out the fire, go to the bathroom, etc.) and "brb" which stood for "be right back." Both of those let us know that the person on the other end was no longer available for a short duration.

Unfortunately, we've lost touch with those practices. Now people will walk away from the computer and have a meal, go visit with someone in another building, have a conversation with someone else in person for 30 - 60 minutes. Respect your team mates and their time. Let them know when you're stepping away. Let them know when the absence will be protracted. You're more apt to get their future cooperation when they're shown that they and their time are valued.

Thoughts on Enterprise Social Media Protocols, Pt. 1

Enterprise Social Media relates to shared information from one department manager to the rest of their personnel as well as from one department to another (or several), and then from the CxO office to the rest of the enterprise. That means reaching out to all of the teams, whether in the 2-3 person business as well as the global enterprise with thousands of employees.

Because the reach is so vast, and the message can be distributed so quickly, great care needs to be taken that people who are hired appreciate and respect the sensitivity of information that is shared. Team members need to keep project details and findings within their team until they are told it is ready for distribution. Even then, their leader needs to define the breadth of the distribution.

Corporate culture with regard to feedback and results of work can be playful on occasion just to keep things fresh and not oppressive (or boring and tedious). However, the jocular moments need to be defined as such because a text message or email doesn't contain voice inflections (unless they're composed on a voice synthesizer) and not everyone from the same country, let alone the same region, understands some things that are humor. But I digress.

Team members need to respect one another in every way. Likewise they need to be imbued with the power to build the results of what they do by being able to offer a different perspective or even object to something that's been put on the table. But they also need to take responsibility for those positions by offering the basis for the position. When points of differences are defined, it's easier to understand where the idea won't work in a particular situation but may be one of the potential solutions in another setting. And understanding the reasoning behind the support or rejection helps to shed light on the project side of it and not allow it to be construed as a matter of personality.

There's no room for gossip (unfounded information about others or things); there's no room for needless distractions that tend to cause panic or discomfort. Constructive criticism should be encouraged for the sake of growth and learning. Learning should be encouraged. Good communication skills through open, tactful speech should be encouraged. Tact is paramount followed by exchanges between parties for the sake of transmission of information as well as building alliances. And exchanges of information mean confirming that the correct message was heard by the correct party(ies). Confusion about terms and terminology should be cleared up quickly so everyone is on the same page.

Nor should there be any space in any way for threats of punishment, suggestions of coercion, destruction of input to work or research or work, withholding of privileges for lack of consent. Abusive and retaliatory consequences simply do not belong in your corporate culture much less on any of your teams. Isolation, being ostracized, personality differences, failure to recognize the advantages of diversity of culture, ethnicity, abilities, and even age make being in your enterprise not a healthy place to be. Get rid of all of it and don't let it slide under the door.

Star status is important to some and not to others. Knowledge that they've been part of the end product sometimes carries its own limelight. To cut the negative side of competitiveness, it's important to acknowledge the more significant contributions of certain members of the team. However, the leader also needs to recognize how the rest of the team contributed to reaching that plateau.

Developing Satisfying Performance Reviews

There are many instances when situations arise that toll one's knowledge of the most fundamental of good practices. Recently one of such circumstances presented itself. Although the players appear to be very capable, their handling of the situation showed some reminders are in order. They also showed that it's wise to make certain that your professionals from other countries have more than a passing appreciation of domestic employment laws and practices.

Please consider the strategies previously published in 2003 on HR.com.

Some managers think of performance appraisal meetings and recollections of torn Achilles' heels or root canals immediately surface. They're sort of "been there, don't want to go again" situations. The more it can be put off, the better. You may be in that state of mind right now.

Chances are you're trying to make one meeting do for everything. So you're preparing for the performance review, the salary review, and a few other matters, all in one sitting. There are definite things you want to praise. You probably have a few who could use some improvement. The prospect of all of this is giving you a new ulcer and you're putting the preparation as far off as possible. It doesn't have to be that bad. Before you get yourself as prepared for this meeting as you would to go to Antarctica for six months, reconsider the purpose of the performance review and isolate the meeting to just that – communicating about how the employee has been doing compared with their job description.

PREPARE FOR THE MEETING

As with any other meeting, prepare for it. Outline an agenda of what will be covered. This will help you to be the leader of the meeting so that you keep the conversation on track and both of you know what matters will be the focal points of the discussion. And as with any other meeting, make certain your employee has a copy of the agenda so they don't feel there's going to be a surprise attack of some sort. This will enable them to be as prepared for a discussion and stay focused.

The essentials of the discussion should start with the job description. Pull out a copy of the job or position description that was the basis of hiring or promoting your employee. Your conversation needs to cover an assessment of what they've been doing compared with what their "contract" says they are expected to do.

In addition to the job description, you'll want to discuss what you see that the employee has been doing well. People are people. No doubt there are areas that need improvement so feel free to discuss those. You'll also want to agree on the "how" and the "when" of the improvements. Finally, you want to leave time for discussing new work opportunities, where appropriate, so that the employee has some planned growth in their position.

SET A GOOD CLIMATE

Well, you now have a skeleton agenda. The next issue is having the meeting. At first blush, this may seem like a minor issue. However, this is a sensitive talk. It's a meeting about the very personal matter of how the employee is working and the caliber of their work. Plus the issues for review, there are some "climate" conditions that need attention.

Make certain that you schedule the meeting; don't send an emissary on your behalf. This should be a private meeting -- not in the middle of the office where everyone can share in the conversation. It should be free of interruptions. If you're expecting a conference call, schedule it for a good amount of time after the appraisal meeting so the appraisal doesn't become rushed. Have all of your phone calls held.

Finally, meet in a place other than your office -- some neutral area -- that is free of things that can cause barriers such as tables or desks.

SPEAK IN POSITIVE TERMS

Over-emphasis in this next area is not overkill. This conversation is a personal one. When a person feels they're being criticized or attacked, your meeting is not going to go well. The conversation will stop and what you'll have is, at best, a one-sided monologue with a half-hearted agreement in word. Think of this as a one-on-one coaching period and speak as though you are coaching. Use positive terms and sentences throughout your conversation.

ENCOURAGE SELF APPRAISAL

It's one thing for you to do an appraisal of the employee's work. But this is supposed to be a conversation and a time for feedback. What you want is feedback from the employee about how they perceive how they've been working. It's rare that the manager rates an employee's performance lower than the employee. Usually it's the other way around. The employee is more critical of their work.

Although this is supposed to be a conversation, encourage the employee to talk when you reach the appraisal of how they're performing compared with the talking points of the job description. Allow for self appraisal.

Once they have made their appraisal, this will be a prime time to talk about

• how you perceive their performance compared with their self appraisal
  
• areas for improvement
  
• steps to take to make changes
  
• whether they are ready for some new opportunities for growth

CONCLUDE WITH A MUTUAL AGREEMENT FOR ACTION

It's fine to have a meeting and get all of the talking points covered. But part of this performance appraisal covered areas for change. Talking about change is not commitment to it. Put in writing what the employee will do, what you will do to assist or support them in doing this and when it these things will be done. Then both of you need to sign this contract for action. If it needs modification, as with any other contract, they can be made by mutual consent of both of you via a signed writing that memorializes the changes.

REINFORCEMENT TOOLS

You've probably read enough material on performance reviews until you eyes have glazed over. It's one thing to read. It's quite another to actualize the reading. How about something that will help you practice doing an appraisal, complete with "bad move"-"good move" scenarios? The matters we've been discussing today, in addition to some other important considerations attendant to a successful performance review, are available on video.

In CRM Learning's "Discussing Performance," you can spend 20 minutes watching the supervisor and employee go through the bungled steps and then the "let's try this again" versions of a performance review. Interspersed with discussions about why the bungled and the better happened, this tape allows you to see and do from a safe perspective so that you have a performance presentation of the cause and effect relationships of words and acts. After each scenario, there is a very useful and brief discussion of why things went the way they did as you segue into the next phase. You're empowered with a conceptualization of how to have this meeting.

JUST PERFORMANCE, PLEASE

Performance reviews are actually very constructive periods of time; they're opportunities for growth for both you and the employee who's being reviewed. Leave the other issues for another time and conversation. And leave those old ways of the painful reviews as relics and sign posts of the past. Use these review and evaluation times only for the focused purpose of discussing performance.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

Tools:

• Discussing Performance (training video with leader's
  guide, CDs and PowerPoint supplements) by CRM Learning, Inc.
  
• Overview: Legally Defensible Performance Appraisals
  
• Guidance Document: Uses, Abuses, and Legal Considerations
  
• Checklist During the Appraisal Interview
  
• The Secret to Effective, No-Hassle Performance Reviews.pdf from HR.com
  

Additional Reading:

• The Lowdown on Performance Reviews
  
• One Manager's Journey Beyond Performance Reviews
  
• Managing People - Performance Reviews, Legal Issues
  
• The Power of Positive Reviewing