Is it poor employee performance or poor behavior?

When business is good we tend to overlook marginal performance and poor behavior. The old adage- sales hides all sins – can not be a part of any business striving to be successful today.

Good employee performance should be rewarded regularly and loudly, while poor performance or poor behavior should be addressed discretely and swiftly. Many people often mistake poor performance with poor behavior.

As described in an article at http://www.labourguide.co.za/poor_performance.htm

Poor Performance looks at whether the job, which the employee is being paid to do, is being done properly. Poor behavior – relates to misconduct- deliberate disregard proper professional conduct.

So how do you define poor performance?

• Is the output sufficient?
• Is the quality acceptable?
• Are company operating procedures being followed?
• Are costs kept within budget or is the amount of rejects unacceptably high?
• Is the effort put in by the employee sufficient?
• Is it perhaps inability to do the job at the required level – can the employee perform satisfactorily at a lower level?
• Is just plain incompetence? I.e. not insufficient effort, but a clearly a lack of ability to do the job?
• Is it carelessness – lack of attention to detail?
• Is it a form of negligence but not misconduct? In other words “I don’t care.”

Management’s responsibility:

• Respond in reasonable time frame
• Be specific about the problem and the solution- let them help this to determine – TFU
• Establish cause- personal life issues, internal company issues
• Investigation- Determine if systemic issues exist
• Discussion with the employee- reiterate expectations in writing
• Counseling meeting – not punishment- assist them to recognize and overcome the problem
• Training – retraining
• Find a mutually acceptable way of dealing with it
• Follow up
• At the end of the counseling session, the employee must be warned of the consequences of failure to improve where such warning is appropriate.
• Bear in mind that the aim of the counseling session is not to punish the employee, but to notify an employee of the need to improve their performance.

Defining misconduct or poor behavior (relation to company rules, policies and procedures)

• Stealing
• Assault
• Swearing at a customer
• Disruptive behavior
• Blatant disregard for company policy or procedures

An example might be an employee is never absent and performs well but the employee is caught stealing… blatant misconduct issue.

Management’s Responsibility

• Respond immediately
• Investigate thoroughly- write exact account
• Determine punitive action
• Make decision quickly
• Misconduct usually results in immediate and severe disciplinary action – perhaps even dismissal.

The surest way to erode your credibility, respect and profits with your employees, boss and most importantly, customers and clients is to ignore poor behavior and employee performance issues.Making every employee and manager aware of your written guidelines in your policy and procedure manual assures everyone understands the critical nature of their proper behavior and performance. it sets the expectations necessary to ensure sustainable productivity and efficiency that drive excellent customer service and growing profits..

If you are in doubt as to how to respond to people issues, get good outside help from a trusted adviser, business coach or a friend with an unbiased view. Working with a good business coach is a great way to stay ahead of the competition both in the growth of you and your people and the growth of your business.

To your continued success,

Coach Nancy

Often people complain about the lack of time, even though we all get the same amount of time in a given day…..there are the same 24 hours in a day and 60 minutes in an hour for everyone.

Do you ever wonder why some people are always rushed, stressed, anxious and constantly running while others have the time to think, plan,  and balance work and play?  The constant demands of everyday life can seem overwhelming and stalemate  our ability to get things done.  It is not really our lack of time but actually it is our lack of how to effectively use that time. So what can we do about it?

Here are some helpful thoughts and steps to free up more of your time.

• Deal with your “reality” about time.  Many of our time management issues are actually related to our own behavior.  So the first step to freeing up more time is to understand yourself and your limiting behavior.

• Prioritize tasks.  All too often everything is treated with the same level of     importance.  Prioritize work based on importance instead of size of project. Think     about important and urgent vs. important but not urgent. Over time, shift your list     so that you are being proactive about your tasks.

• Track your time.  Analyze how you spend your time.  Take a week and record  everything you do and the time you spend on each task.  Map this out so you can  visually see how you spend your day.

• One at a time.  Try to complete projects by working on each project individually. Let the computers multi-task.  Have only one project at a time on your desk.

• Delegate tasks you should not do.  Many people hang on to tasks that should be     delegated to someone else.  Determine what it is costing you by doing these tasks then find/train someone else to do them for you.

• Learn to say “No”.  Many people overload themselves with work.  You can become     overwhelmed and others cannot count on you to meet deadlines.

• Schedule your work.  Create time to work on projects by scheduling them as you would a meeting.

• Always ask why.  Things change and sometimes we continue doing things one way when a better way is available.  Always question yourself.

• Make time for yourself.  We all need down time.  It will allow you to recharge the  batteries so you can be more productive when you go back to work. A simple walk around the parking lot can re-energize you.

• Create your own system.  Whether it’s Outlook, a day planner, or a notepad, you need to create your way to manage your time.

• Plan your success.  Set goals, create an action plan, and track your performance. Always follow-up and measure where you are so you stay on track with your goals. Understand how setting goals will impact what you do.

What will you change now that will help you accomplish more by paying attention to time robbers?

To your continued success,
Coach Nancy

One of the best decisions upper management can make in healthcare or small business is to promote from within when hiring  managers. Nursing managers, administration managers, operations managers, finance managers – you name it – finding a person within your organization who is suited for management is no easy task.  But promoting from within saves enormous time when trying to acclimate someone to an organization’s culture.

It also is an incredible motivator to those seeking more in their career.

Here are 5 Tips for Choosing the Right Person for Management
* Have a very clearly defined set of expectations for yourself and them before choosing a manager.

What is it you REALLY want them to do? (help make money  is a key component)

Write down those roles and responsibilities well in advance of choosing a manager so the candidate fits the job, not visa versa.

Make sure these roles and responsibilities align with your mission.

* Management is a people job. Look for a people person first and foremost. They  should have  that positive attitude necessary to lead others.

Identify those  folks with good people and organizational skills, and with the ability to see the big picture.

Identify those with a positive outlook and a good sense of humor who demonstrate a “can do” spirit. They will need these traits when things get tough.

Look for people who seek out the best in others.

* Determine who may be interested in accepting more responsibility and taking on a leadership role by asking.

Tenure, loyalty and friendship are not reasons for putting someone in management positions. As a matter of  fact, those are the three worst reasons to promote someone.

Leave no stone unturned. The quietest person may be just the one. It’s just no one ever asked them.

Who are those people who are self starters and take personal responsibility for all their actions?

* Seek out people who challenge you and the status quo -  you don’t want a “mini me”.

“Yes people” are followers – not leaders.

Find the person who understands where you are going and why and wants to be a part of making that happen.

* Develop a management preparedness program so the right people are ready when the opportunity presents itself.

Have a written training plan for those interested in becoming a manager so they earn the right to be considered. This is a natural weed out process.

Begin delegating people and project responsibilities to those you are grooming with a follow-up process to measure their progress.

Remember taking the extra time to choose the right person on the front end will save countless hours of wasted time for you in the future.

Hiring the right person to help you manage your practice or business is but the first step toward success. The next critical yet often overlooked step is using a qualified management coach to develop those necessary habits, attitudes and behaviors of an exemplary leader once you have made your decision.

To your continued success,

Coach Nancy

No subject seems to pervade our lives as much as finance. Whether it is wresting with the family budget or seeing if your company qualifies for a bank loan, finance looms larger than any other technical subject on a daily basis. Managers are expected to scale down medical supply inventories or set up budgets for departments or projects, yet it has been my experience working as a business coach with in the healthcare industry that most management is sorely lacking in their basic understanding of finance. Why even some C – level employees depend too heavily on the CFO to tell them WHAT to do in regards to smart financial decision making.

All organizations preach to their managers to think like owners and consider all sorts of ideas and options before making a decision. We drill home the virtues of thinking costs savings and value added to our managers, yet how many businesses or healthcare organizations, large or small, train their management in the specifics of business finance? I would suggest few to none. But what business does not need ample cash flow and sustained profitability from every department in order to be successful?

If managers are expected to take ownership and share the responsibilities of running the business, they must be held to the same standards as owners or executive level management when it comes to financial understanding and accountability.

The key is to start training people immediately. We spend so much time training or hiring for technical expertise but very little to the financial understanding that is so basic for the achievement of corporate financial goals. Before promoting from within, ensure candidates have met certain basic criteria for leading people and understanding the financial risks of all aspects of their leadership. Before hiring from the outside, consider interview questions that specifically elicit a person’s financial comprehension.

So many executives simply hand over periodic financial reports to managers and assume they know what the heck they are looking at. Most reports end up in the bottom drawer somewhere. Many managers don’t take company financials seriously until they are required to – by that time it may be too late.

Managers today should know how to effectively utilize the basic tools such as reading, understanding and utilizing a balance sheet, statement of cash flows, and a profit and loss statement when making decisions. Teach managers at all levels how to create a functional budget so there are accurate financial metrics by which to measure a manager’s performance. Every manager’s performance should be tied directly to company financial goals. If not, don’t give them the title of manager. The need to make quick financial decisions is vital at every level to succeed in business today.

How would you rate your management’s actual understanding and accurate use of financial information?

Now is the time to take action to ensure your managers have every tool available to them to make proper decisions and take appropriate actions as leaders- especially those critical financial tools.

To your continued success,

Coach Nancy

The employee management mantra of FedEx rings true even after almost 4 decades – when managing a business, follow the PSP philosophy. People, Service, Profit. As a member of senior management for FedEx, that philosophy was in our blood; there was never a discussion, memo or action taken without that empowering message. To this day, I apply that philosophy in my management consultant / business coaching practice.

Really great companies, even in bad times, place people and values first. The link between people and the bottom line is becoming more apparent. Organizations that succeed over time are those that have a strong values-driven culture. They are people-centered organizations who balance values and business.

Our People First                                                            

I am often asked by clients, “How can I motivate employees? Why don’t they just get as excited about our business as I do?”  The answer is really simple – put their wellbeing before that of your balance sheet and the results falls in line more easily and effectively.

The quality of the interaction with and among employees drives the quality of the products and services. A focus on treating employees with warmth, dignity and respect pays off in how customers are treated and consequently in how the business performs.

Many organizations forget the connection between customers, employees, and financial results. If you want to have great business results, you must have customers who love your products and services—customers who believe that they’re getting excellent treatment from the company. In order to do that, you have to have employees who are motivated, committed, and using their talents on behalf of the organization.

As Fred Smith, CEO of FedEx has always said, “if we treat our people with the respect due, they in turn will carry that attitude to our customers through service and the long term results will always be improved profitable for all stakeholders.”

Want to build employee morale? Start by walking the talk and treaing your people as though their ideas and hard work matter.

To your enduring succes,

Coach Nancy

Welcome to Coach Nancy’s blog.  If you’ve ever wondered what your boss is thinking, if you’ve ever felt your employees just don’t listen, if you want to become the best leader and managers you can be…

This is the leadership blog for you.