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Thomas Francis University • Course G381 • Segment 1

—Douglas R. Kelley, PhD, CH, CSL

Updated: October 2, 2015

Upon Completion of this Segment, You Will Know:

 How to embrace your own personal growth.

 How to raise the Personal Net Asset Value of yourself and your team.

 Elements of an effective team.

 The differences between teams and groups.

 How to train your team.

 How to coach your team.

 The importance of coaching and feedback sessions.

 The Ownership Attitude vs. the Entitlement Attitude.

 Why and how to document employee behavior.

 How to conduct team member performance reviews.

The greatest good you can do for another is not just share your riches,

but reveal to them their own.

—Disraeli

ne of the primary roles you play as a leader and manager is to train and coach your em-

ployees. This segment discusses general coaching and training techniques while the next

segment will discuss specific difficult behaviors and discipline issues.

Continuing education should be a part of your team culture. If you don’t train your team, it will

be very difficult for them to work together cohesively. On the other hand, effective training will

make you and your team stand apart and will enable you to be far more proficient performing your

work. Remember, leaders replicate themselves and they do this by training and coaching.

However, in order to be an effective trainer and coach, you need to make sure that you train and

develop yourself first. What are you doing to develop you? I love the advice I picked up somewhere

along the line to “spend 15 minutes each day learning something new.” Fifteen minutes is not a long

time; it makes learning and development simple, and if it is simple, we are more likely to do it.

Segment 1: Training and Coaching Your Team

As a manager, can you spend 15 minutes a day learning something new in your field? Or 15 minutes

a day learning about how to be a better leader (as you are right now)? Or 15 minutes a day learning

about something else that will help you to be a better, more knowledgeable manager and leader?

Fifteen minutes a day learning something new can be easy if you get into the habit. I regularly

visit several websites each day to keep up on news in various fields. I invariably find something intri-

guing and then do more research online. This easily swallows up 15 minutes (and longer, if truth be

told!), and I always learn something new that I can apply to my life, business, or writing subject

matter.

Fifteen minutes a day equals almost 100 hours each year of time invested in your own development

as a human being and leader. People who spend time refining and developing themselves tend to go

more places in life, attain higher positions in business, and earn a higher income. Can you imagine

how it will help you to deliver greatness to your field?

The objective here is to raise your personal net asset value as well as that of your people. In the

financial world, mutual funds carry a “net asset value” or NAV; it is much like the share price of an

individual stock. A mutual fund’s NAV will rise and fall with the market just as stocks do because

mutual funds are made up of many individual stocks (and/or bonds). Obviously, the higher the market

goes, the higher a mutual fund’s NAV will go and the more money you will make. But if the market

falls, so does the value of a mutual fund’s NAV.

Continuing education and personal growth are just like an ever-rising bull market. The more you

learn the higher your personal net asset value or “PNAV” goes. But the beautiful thing is that it never

falls. In other words, the more you learn, the more you know; and the more you know, the better

you’ll be at what you do—not to mention becoming a more effective leader and manager. Once you

learn something new, it can stay with you as long as you wish.

I readily admit that working on yourself is not always the easiest thing to do—it requires consistent

effort. This is why few people are really serious about improving themselves. They will spend thou-

sands of dollars on “things” and virtually ignore the very thing that will propel them further and

higher in all aspects of their lives and relationships. They just haven’t seen the benefits yet. And

while personal growth takes effort, that effort is well worth it when you consider the broader view

of happiness and fulfillment in life. Motivational speaker Charlie “Tremendous” Jones said, “Your life

will be the same in five years except for the books you read, the tapes you listen to, and the people

you walk with.”

What I’m really talking about here is to have an attitudinal bent toward growing as a human being.

If you have such an attitude, you will attract like-minded people into your “circle” and it will be

easier for your employees to follow your healthy example. Having a positive and healthy “growth

attitude” will also help you to cull your team of unhealthy employees because negative people are

effectively repelled by positive people. Like attracts like in human relationships; Unhealthy people

attract more unhealthy people and push away healthy people. Conversely, healthy people attract

more healthy people and push away unhealthy people.

So, as a leader, can you find a few minutes each day to learn something new? Will you make a

commitment to yourself and continue your personal development by training yourself first? It doesn’t

take much to make a big difference as long as it is consistent and habitual.

Segment 1: Training and Coaching Your Team

Segment 1 Supplemental Audio: 3 Keys to Personal Development

NOTE: Before proceeding to the next section, please listen to the audio above on

the Course Page for a supplemental discussion of this section. This audio is part of

the course.

ELEMENTS OF AN EFFECTIVE TEAM

The concept of a “team” is different than the concept of a “group.” Even though I’ve used the

terms “team” and “group” interchangeably in this course (and will continue to do so), I’m going to

“split some hairs” for the moment and define the differences for this section.

Technically speaking, a “group” is a collection of people who work individually toward a common

goal and answer to a leader who deals with any performance or personnel issues that arise. Group

members don’t necessarily help one another to perform individual tasks or to reach goals. The group

mentality is “me” rather than “we.” Groups may contain dozens or hundreds of members.

On the other hand, a “team” is a collection of people with complementary skills who work together

toward a common goal with a shared vision. While there may be a team leader, teams are typically

self-directing and mutually accountable. Team members also help one another to get the job done.

The team mentality is “we” rather than “me.” As a general rule, teams operate best with between

four and 12 members.

As you can see, it is difficult to distinguish much significant difference between “groups” and

“teams.” Perhaps another way to look at the differences is to think of a team as a family working

together toward a common goal. With a family, each member works together, helps each other, and

isn’t afraid to voice opinions when necessary. They work together well because they know each other

well and have complementary skills. They also share a common purpose and vision. The family team

will often have a father or mother as the “team leader.”

A “group,” on the other hand, is a collection of people brought together for their individual abili-

ties to fulfill a specific goal. Each one does what he or she is supposed to do, but doesn’t necessarily

help out another member. Individual group members are not generally accountable for the end goal,

whereas on a team they are accountable.

To sum it up, team members work together to accomplish a goal; group members work individually

to accomplish a goal. Teams usually take time to develop whereas groups don’t. As a manager, you

should strive to combine the best of both worlds. Following is a list of combined elements from both

that seems to work well:

 Members work together toward the team’s mission, vision, and objectives.

 Members assertively relate to each other.

 The strengths and weaknesses of members complement each other.

 Each member is trained for all positions to the extent possible (cross training).

 Each member is part of the decision-making process to the extent possible (shared leadership).

 Each member pulls his or her own weight (The Two Most Important Relationship Questions).

Segment 1: Training and Coaching Your Team

 The team is kept as small as functionally possible.

 The manager is the Team Leader and the final authority.

Keep the above elements in mind as you determine how big your team will be and who you will

hire. It’s best to invite only those individuals who satisfy a specific need and who fit your team. Think

of open positions or areas of need on your team as holes, and then seek to fill those holes with

competent individuals. Once you’ve filled all the holes, you no longer need employees.

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR TEAM

Training can take a number of forms and can happen in a number of ways. The most obvious

manner is direct teaching. This usually occurs at team meetings, onsite demonstrations, and such. In

order to make training effective, you will need to assess your team to discover areas of need. This is

usually not that hard; you will typically notice when things don’t run smoothly. Even if things are

running smoothly, you will still want to schedule routine training to further enhance your team and

their abilities.

And don’t forget about the importance of training your employees in life-skills. If you want better

employees, teach them life-skills such as relationship and communication techniques. This is why the

TFU Degree Program goes to such lengths in the areas of self-concept and relationships. I wholeheart-

edly recommend that you require employees to get personal growth training from time to time. It

keeps them on the right track and provides a foundation for future training.

Understand that the training process can take weeks or months, depending on how active you are

as a team. It has long been known that people go through four phases when they are learning some-

thing new. I will first discuss these four phases broadly, and then apply them to a specific scenario:

1. Unconscious Incompetent: The person doesn’t know that they don’t know what they are

doing.

We see this trait often in society when people say or do things without thinking. Far too many

people don’t really stop to think about whether they know how to do something effectively

and often end up performing shoddy work or acting irresponsibly. What’s more, many don’t

care to learn how to do things effectively. Unfortunately, we see this trait among many par-

anormal startup groups who end up doing more damage to the client than if they hadn’t “in-

vestigated” at all. They can’t seem to comprehend the concept of “Do No Harm.” These are

the kind of people you want to avoid inviting to join your team in the first place. Use the

screening techniques from Course G380, Segment 4 to identify prospective members who dis-

play careless, reckless, or irresponsible tendencies. These types of people are the hardest to

train because they lack the fundamental and necessary trait of common sense.

2. Conscious Incompetent (many people begin a new position at this phase): The person

knows that they don’t know what they are doing.

Most of your new team members will be at this stage when they join. Your job is to get them

to the next phase by filling in the blanks on research standards, protocols, equipment usage,

etc., and giving them the opportunity to practice and demonstrate their new found skills.

Segment 1: Training and Coaching Your Team

3. Conscious Competent (the best place to be): The person knows what they are doing, but

they have to think about it.

The paranormal field requires a diverse knowledge and skill base because researchers don’t

often see quite the same phenomena on every case. Therefore, this phase is probably the best

place in which to stay in order to avoid complacency. With training, your members will have

a good foundation of routine matters, but they will also be able to assess each case on its own

merits without thinking each case is the same.

4. Unconscious Competent (this can lead to complacency): The person knows what they are

doing without thinking about it.

To be fair, there are many aspects of paranormal research that requires this phase (such as

equipment usage and research protocols), but in the broader sense, we must never think that

we’ve learned it all. For example, if after conducting numerous investigations we begin to

think that we can get a comprehensive understanding of the client’s claims from a phone call

alone, then we’ve likely become complacent. Various cases may have similarities, but no two

cases are exactly alike. Certain aspects of our research require this phase, but being an Un-

conscious Competent in other aspects can undermine our effectiveness.

Now that I’ve applied these four phases in the broader sense, let me discuss how they apply to

training your team on specific items. If you’ve hired the right type of person to your team, he or she

will already be at the second phase of learning: Conscious Incompetent. Since the new employee is

aware of his or her lack of knowledge, training is easier. When training, use the model of, “Tell them;

Show them; Let them; Give Feedback.” For example, explain how to do a certain task, show them

how to do it, watch them as they practice, and give feedback (coaching).

This model can be adapted to just about any training/coaching need. For example, suppose you

need to train an employee to be a customer service rep. Since this will involve a lot of customer

interaction, you want to make sure this person knows how to handle phone calls and customer ques-

tions effectively. First you “Tell them” by explaining what you’ve learned in this area. Then you

“Show them” and “Let them” by doing some role playing using a typical call-scenario, and then you

“Give feedback.” Once you are satisfied that the employee can handle the position competently, you

again “Let them” with real customers and follow up with feedback as necessary.

Make training an important part of your team meetings and a mandatory part of your team philos-

ophy.

Cross Training Your Team

No good leader or manager would ever place all of his or her “eggs in one basket,” so to speak.

Therefore, it is critical that you cross train your employees so that each one is at least able to ade-

quately perform all necessary tasks. At least two employees should be trained and capable of per-

forming critical tasks. Regardless of the employee, things change from time to time in everyone’s

circumstances, not to mention the possibility of an accident or other event the precludes the primary

employee from performing the task. Cross training your employees will save you potential headaches.

Segment 1: Training and Coaching Your Team

HOW TO COACH

To “coach” literally means to “train,” however, it also carries the connotation of enhanced train-

ing after the initial training has been done. A more accurate definition of “coaching” is to “develop.”

Coaching is an ongoing process of impromptu as well as scheduled training designed to enhance the

skill level of employees.

A coach’s primary tool is the skillful use of questions, but kind, direct remarks are also in order at

times. An example of a direct remark might be, “I noticed that you are walking when using the Tri-

Field Natural meter. That model actually works best when it is stationary. You may want to keep that

one next to the transmitter and use the K-II meter to walk with.” Notice how I “softened” my words.

Different circumstances require different approaches. One situation may lend itself to using ques-

tions, while a direct remark may be a better choice in a different situation. I could have also framed

a question to deal with the same issue as in the previous paragraph, for example, “I noticed that you

are walking when using the Tri-Field Natural meter. Are you trying something new?” Perhaps the new

employee replies, “I’m doing a baseline sweep of the transmitter for EMFs.” You could then follow

up with a direct remark, “That model actually works best when it is stationary. It reacts when phys-

ically moved and it is a DC meter as well, which means it picks up on natural EMFs. You may want to

keep the Tri-Field still and use the K-II meter to get your baseline reading. Since the K-II is an AC

meter, it’s better suited to man-made EMFs. Does that make sense?” Notice the initial question as

well as the tag on question at the end to elicit a response.

Another coaching opportunity occurs when an employee asks you a question of which he or she

ought to know the answer, or could easily look up the answer. This was briefly mentioned in Course

G380, Segment 2 as reverse delegation. A general rule of thumb that you should employ in this kind

of scenario is: When a team member asks a question, never answer his or her question unless it’s a

crisis or emergency. I’m not referring to mundane questions here; I’m referring to questions that

involve training issues. Don’t directly answer the question unless there is a good reason. Instead, ask

a question or series of questions that leads the member to the correct conclusion on his or her own.

By employing the skillful use of questions at the appropriate time, you will actually help your

employees to grow and learn to think for themselves. We don’t want to build a team of automatons

or mindless followers. We want to build a team of like-minded people who are self-sufficient and who

know how to make things happen. Instead of answering every question, encourage your employees to

embrace the concept of “look it up first; ask questions later.” Of course, human nature is at work

here in that asking questions without making any effort to find the answer is taking the path of least

resistance.

When people ask first without making any effort to find the answer, it taxes your time needlessly.

Again, I am speaking generally here; there will be times when you should answer their questions

directly. But choose wisely so that you are not overloaded and they learn to find answers on their

own. Here’s a practical example of how you could handle an employee asking you a question the

answer of which he or she could look up:

EMPLOYEE: How do I upload a file again to the server?

YOU: Have you checked the video tutorial on how to do it?

Segment 1: Training and Coaching Your Team

EMPLOYEE: No.

YOU: You can find it in the library section of the company’s website. It will show you

exactly how to do it. Let me know if you have any questions.

EMPLOYEE: I’m not sure I can find the video in the forum.

YOU: Have you looked?

EMPLOYEE: No.

YOU: It’s in the library section under “video tutorials” and I’m sure you can locate it

easily. Let me know if you have any questions.

It always amazes me that people will almost spend more time and effort trying to get a quick

answer than if they actually looked it up. People remember things better when they actually do the

task.

Another coaching tool that you should use on occasion is role-playing. It is especially useful in

coaching an employee on dealing with other employees or customers. For example, perhaps a certain

employee didn’t handle a situation with another employee appropriately maybe even saying some-

thing out of turn. Briefly role playing the scenario can help the offending employee to learn how to

handle it better next time. For role playing to work best, each person should stay in character. Role

playing may feel a bit awkward at first, but the benefits are real.

Coaching, Counseling, and Mentoring

Coaching, counseling, and mentoring may sound like different words for the same thing, but there

are some slight differences. As discussed above, coaching primarily refers to an ongoing process of

impromptu and/or scheduled training designed to enhance the skill level of employees.

Counseling is a form of coaching that’s generally performed in a therapeutic or disciplinary situa-

tion. “Coaching,” “training,” and “counseling” are virtually interchangeable because sometimes you

will coach to train and sometimes you will coach to counsel. When conducting training, the trainer

usually talks more than the trainee because the trainer is teaching. When doing counseling, the coun-

selor talks less than the other person because the counselor is asking open-ended questions in an

effort to draw the other person out and seek resolution. Use coaching in the counseling mode when-

ever you need to coach an employee on an important issue related to performance or discipline.

Mentoring encompasses both coaching and counseling, but it goes a step further. Mentors have a

vested interest in the other person that goes beyond the typical relationship. Bob Proctor, an author

and speaker, said, "A mentor is someone who sees more talent and ability within you than you see in

yourself, and helps bring it out of you." Think about someone who mentored you in the past. Didn’t

he or she have a vested interest in seeing you succeed? A mentor often sees him or herself in the

other person and therefore wants to help. Indeed, we have all had many mentors at various times in

our lives (whether we identified them as such or not), and will continue to have them in the future.

Anyone whose behavior you emulate is effectively a mentor for you.

Segment 1: Training and Coaching Your Team

While you can coach or counsel any employee, you don’t usually mentor every employee. A men-

tor/mentee relationship usually forms because two people “connect” on a deeper level; they identify

with each other and have a lot in common. You are not going to connect or identify wi th every

employee on this level, which is fine. You can still coach every employee to excellence.

COACHING AND FEEDBACK SESSIONS—THE FIRST STEP TO AVOIDING PROBLEMS

In any business or other operation, there is usually equipment that requires maintenance. From

copiers to computers to vehicles to other pieces of equipment, they all require regular attention to

maintain proper working order. This regular attention is known as “Preventive Maintenance” (PM)

and can include cleaning, adjusting, and parts replacement. Just about every piece of equipment

made has a “PM Cycle” with maintenance protocols scheduled according to the time frame and degree

of use.

Years ago when I was in the office equipment industry, I found out very quickly that when we got

behind in doing our PM calls, we ended up spending all our time “putting out fires.” We went from

one crisis to another crisis to another. Then there was no time to do the preventive maintenance

calls because we were so busy taking care of problem calls, which only led to more problem calls.

We then had to work overtime to not only take care of the problem calls that were continually coming

in (which was not good customer service either), but also to get the PM calls back on track. Once the

PM calls were back on track, then we only had the occasional “fire;” the occasional crisis to deal

with. Business was then much easier to handle. So often in life, that which takes a short time to

neglect, takes a long time to correct.

Businesses usually spend a lot of time, effort, and money on marketing, sales, acquiring equip-

ment, setting up websites, establishing policies, and tending to other necessary business. How much

time, effort, and money are you spending on maintaining your people? Your employees along with

your clients are your two most valuable assets. Do your employees not deserve at least as much

attention as the other necessary things with which you deal? Indeed, they certainly deserve more.

Performing regular coaching and feedback sessions with your employees is like scheduled Preven-

tive Maintenance and is the first step in dealing with difficult employees. A lack of regular feedback

and coaching only serves to engender a fertile ground for problems, difficult behaviors, poor perfor-

mance, and negative attitudes to develop and flourish. And then it becomes much more difficult and

time consuming to change these behaviors. Again, what took a short time to neglect, takes a long

time to correct.

How can you implement your own “Preventive Maintenance” Program? Simply by scheduling time

to talk individually with your employees to give and get feedback. How often should you talk? Often

enough to develop your people and coach them for growth. I personally believe that you should

schedule time to talk with your employees at least once a month (in addition to typical everyday

discussions). In any event, make it regular. Coaching and feedback sessions don’t have to take a long

time. They can last from 15 minutes to how ever long you need at the moment. The important thing

is to begin doing them.

As you implement your PM program, let your employees know exactly why you are conducting the

sessions and exactly how they will work. Tell them that you are calling or meeting with them—not to

put them on the “hot seat”—but to simply see how things are going as well as to provide a forum for

helping them to grow.

Segment 1: Training and Coaching Your Team

A great method for giving and getting feedback that we use in training is the concept of “LB’s”

and “NT’s” which stand for, “Liked Best” and “Next Time.” When giving feedback, you could say,

“Here’s what I Liked Best about how you performed that task…” and then give them your positive

feedback. If there was something they could have done better, tell them, “Here’s what you might

keep in mind for Next Time….” Always use both together starting with LB’s and be sure to explain

the definition of LB’s and NT’s to them too. And don’t forget to bring this feedback session “Full

Circle” by asking for LB’s and NT’s on you and your leadership as well. Leadership means not taking

yourself too seriously.

Perhaps you feel like some managers who say, “I’m too busy and have way too many things going

on to meet with my people as often as you recommend.” If so, remember the advice from our previous

discussion that adds perspective to the matter of “things” and people: Things only matter to the

extent that they benefit somebody. If you completely remove the people element from your business

(employees and customers), will you still have a business? Of course you won’t. Do you see just how

important people are? It is obviously true that things do need to get done. But without people,

“things” would no longer matter and you simply would not be where you are now. Don’t be so focused

on getting “things” done, that you neglect your employees; for they are the source of your success

or your failure as a team and company.

Why not take action now by implementing or refining your own Preventive Maintenance program?

It is the first step to an efficient team as well as in handling difficult employees; for this is where you

will identify and minimize many difficult behaviors. This will in turn strengthen your leadership as

well as your team.

The Ownership Attitude vs. the Entitlement Attitude

In the business world, far too many employees are infected with a sense of entitlement that is

characterized by the attitude of “the company owes me and is here for me, not the other way around;

whatever I take, I deserve.” These types of employees will then proceed to take and take and take,

all the while feeling no ethical dilemma of returning less than they give. This disparity is called the

Entitlement Attitude.

Conversely, every now and then you see a company whose corporate philosophy engenders the

Ownership Attitude which is characterized by an employee taking an active interest in the company

by mentally considering that he or she is part owner of the company. This kind of employee under-

stands that in order for the company to succeed, he or she must consistently give more than they

take. Employees with the Ownership Attitude show initiative, deliver superior customer service, and

almost manage themselves. These types of employees typically benefit from the company’s success

to a greater degree.

Like many things in life, the Pareto Principle works here too. The Pareto Principle is commonly

known as the 80/20 Rule and was suggested by management consultant Joseph M. Juran who named

it after Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto.1 The Pareto Principle states that 80% of the effects come

from 20% of the causes.

While not always an exact figure, the Pareto Principle can be used as a rule of thumb in many

areas. For example, 80% of your team problems will come from 20% of your employees; 80% of your

1 Wikipedia. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/80-20_rule.

Segment 1: Training and Coaching Your Team

sales will come from 20% of your customers; and 80% of the Ownership Attitude will come from 20%

of your employees.

As a leader, you want to create a climate that encourages the Ownership Attitude among your

employees. You can do this through your team philosophy, regular training, coaching, feedback, and

holding employees to appropriate accountability. You can also create an Ownership Attitude climate

by setting goals that require you and your employees to stretch a bit. One way is to encourage them

to become authorities and experts in the field (if applicable) by being active, writing articles and

books, lecturing, etc. Of course, most of your employees will not have the desire to do any of this,

but they can still display the Ownership Attitude by performing their jobs efficiently and showing

initiative where appropriate.

The Ownership Attitude is what separates those who excel and those who don’t.

DOCUMENTING EMPLOYEE BEHAVIOR

The easiest way to track your members’ progress is to document things as they arise. Regularly

document important events, issues, or incidents so that you can address them as appropriate. A

simple way to do this is to have a file in your word processor for each employee. If and when positive

or negative performance issues arise, add an entry to the specific employee’s file listing the date and

a commentary of the event.

A great method that helps when documenting employee issues is: “We met…; We discussed…; We

agreed.” For example:

Mary and I met on Thursday, January 22, 2009. We discussed her lack of efficiency

when setting up for trade shows, specifically, taking too many breaks and standing

around while others work. We agreed that she will work faster, take fewer breaks, and

ask if she is not sure what to do next.

Your documenting notes may be necessary regarding legal issues arising from an employee’s be-

havior and can even be subpoenaed by a court. Therefore, document both good and poor behav-

ior/performance in non-emotional terms; state only facts. Keep your comments objective and without

value judgments. For example, instead of writing, “Mary is just too lazy,” write, “Mary needs to

improve on helping with equipment setup at trade shows.” Write as if others will read it, because

they just might and you will want to show by your statements that you as a manager are fair, reason-

able, and consistent.

Remember, “If it’s not written down, it didn’t happen.” Documenting employee behavior is also

a good way for you to remember events especially if the difficult behavior follows a pattern that

erupts infrequently over time. By documenting your employee’s performance on a regular basis, you

will also be able to identify specific coaching areas as well as remember items that need to be ad-

dressed in the performance review.

Finally, your documenting notes are private and for your use only unless requested by an authority

such as HR or the court. This means that you are not under any obligation to share your notes with

employees.

Segment 1: Training and Coaching Your Team

PERFORMANCE REVIEWS

Another aspect of coaching and training is performing employee performance reviews on a regular

basis. It allows your employees to know where they stand and also helps you and them to identify

areas in which they excel and areas that need improvement. Doing performance reviews promotes

healthy and regular communication between you and your employees. As a leader, it will also help

you to develop your people which will, in turn, enhance your overall team.

The frequency of performance reviews is largely up to you, however, I recommend that you con-

duct them semi-annually. Performance reviews don’t need to take a long time either. Try to conduct

your reviews in person, if possible, otherwise, conduct them over the phone if geographical distance

is an issue. Please note that performance reviews are conducted in addition to your regular feedback

and coaching sessions.

A strong word of caution is appropriate here: Never, ever, ever put off doing a performance re-

view! Ever! Always conduct your performance reviews at the prescribed time. This is especially true

if the employee is in line for a raise. When you put off or delay doing performance reviews, you are

unwittingly sending your employees the message that they are “just not that important.” And if a

potential raise is involved, you are now essentially screwing with their paycheck and you never screw

with someone’s paycheck! The delaying of performance reviews plants tiny seeds of negativity in

employees that can and will lead to further problems and low morale. Show your employees the

respect they deserve by conducting performance reviews on time.

You likely already have a performance review form used in your company or organization. If not,

or if you are developing a performance review form, a sample performance review form is available

in on the course page. You are free to modify this form as you choose. You’ll note that the rating

scale consists of only two criteria: 1: Under Development; and 2. Meets/Exceeds Expectations. Your

goal should be to encourage employees to grow and excel. Your job is to help them succeed in a

positive way, not weigh them down with negatives. Using the 1 - 2 scale allows you to appraise the

employee’s need for improvement in a non-blaming manner. I deliberately avoided the term, “needs

to improve” because no one likes to hear that. However, we don’t mind “developing our skills.” This

is another example of softening your words.

To conduct a performance review, first examine the Performance Review Techniques chart at the

end of this segment that shows what to keep in mind before, during, and after the review. Conducting

a performance review is conceptually quite simple. You simply need to answer The Two Most Im-

portant Relationship Questions in your mind (as discussed previously). To reiterate, they are 1) What

do I bring to this relationship? and 2) What does the other person (employee) bring to this relationship?

Use the Two Questions worksheet on the course page as a guide before you fill out the actual perfor-

mance review form.

Using The Two Most Important Relationship Questions makes your job much easier when appraising

team members in that you praise and commend the employee for the things he or she “brings to the

table,” and use the things that he or she “takes away from the table” as a ready-made development

program for the subsequent period. These two questions are invaluable in determining which areas

are in need of coaching and training, especially if you are having a hard time figuring out specifically

where the employee needs to improve. Incidentally, if you believe an employee needs to improve in

some area, make sure that you are not contributing to the employee’s problem by your own behavior

or attitude.

Segment 1: Training and Coaching Your Team

Also, make sure you always give credit where credit is due. If an employee deserves a top score

on a review item, then give him or her that top score. Unfortunately, far too many managers are

under the false and demoralizing assumption that no employee should ever receive the highest score

in any area. They reason that if a top score is given, the employee will have nothing left to work on.

Many managers also falsely reason that “nobody is perfect, therefore, nobody should ever get the

highest score.” Both of these lines of reasoning are outright rubbish and any manager who believes

in such absurdities has no clue about human nature.

Consider the true-life case study from one of my past seminar attendees. “Kathy” was a manager

who worked hard and conscientiously at her job. She did not miss a single day of work over the

previous year, nor was she tardy even once. When it came time for her performance review, her

manager wanted to give her a “4” instead of a “5” (the top score) for the attendance section on her

review. When she asked how she could improve in this area, her manager told her that “nobody gets

a ‘5’ because nobody is perfect.” She stood her ground and again asked how she could improve in this

area since her attendance record was perfect. Her manager finally gave in and Kathy received a “5”

for attendance.

Let’s assume, for discussion, that Kathy did not get the highest score for attendance on her review.

What do you think her attendance record would be like for the upcoming year? You guessed it; she

would have had no compelling reason to maintain a perfect record because, frankly, it doesn’t really

matter to upper management. She could have easily reasoned, “What difference does it make to be

here every day? I was here every day for a whole year and I still didn’t receive any real credit.”

In such a case, guess what would have just been planted? A not-so-tiny seed of negativity which

will only lead to further negativity, and all caused by a manager who didn’t understand human nature.

It can be quite demoralizing when an employee has worked hard toward a development goal only to

not receive credit; it may leave him or her with an “I can’t win” attitude. Do not make such a mistake

when doing performance reviews.

The overall point of doing performance reviews is to encourage and develop your people. There-

fore, performance reviews should be an event to which your employees look forward, not dread.

Employee Development Plans

When an employee needs development in a specific area, create a development plan, also known

as a Performance Improvement Plan. Involve the employee in the development plan as well by asking,

“What are your thoughts/feelings on improving in this/these area(s)?”

Show the benefits of improvement in a way the employee can understand. Remember, “A person

convinced against his or her will is of the same opinion still.” Like you, the employee is always asking,

“What’s in it for me? (WIIFM)” Be sure to answer this question.

Also be sure to continue coaching the employee in conjunction with the development plan. Also,

make improvement criteria measurable. You need to know how and when a development goal is

attained.

After working with the employee to develop the plan, gain his or her commitment. It is not over

until you gain a commitment.

Segment 1: Training and Coaching Your Team

Getting Full-Circle Feedback

Before the performance review is over, be sure to get feedback from the employee on how you

are doing. This can be done easily by using “LB’s” and “NT’s.” Ask the employee what he or she likes

best about your management and leadership. Then ask about areas in which you can improve. Be sure

to put the employee at ease by letting him or her know that you are also trying to improve. This will

make it easy for the employee to be candid.

Make the commitment to regularly train and coach your employees, and you will soon reap the

benefits! Additionally, you will tend to avoid difficult employee behavior, which is discussed in the

next segment.

[See chart below.]

Segment 1: Training and Coaching Your Team

Performance Review Techniques

1. Before

a. NEVER delay or put off a Review for any reason.

 Putting off a Review sends the message, “You are just not that important” to the employee

b. Review employee’s Job Description

c. Begin with the end in mind; have an objective;

know where you are going

 Define clear expectations with measurable re- sults

d. Ask yourself the “Two Most Important Relationship Questions:”

1. “What do I bring to this relationship?”

2. “What does the employee bring to this relation- ship?”

e. Don’t take yourself too seriously!

2. During

a. Put employee at ease by creating a safe, positive,

and Win-Win atmosphere

 Explain what employee can expect during the

Review

 Conduct the Review in a comfortable, neutral setting

 Strive for “same-side-of-the-desk” seating—

don’t sit face-to-face with a desk/table be- tween you and the employee if at all possible

 Build rapport by using friendly, conversational language and voice tone

 Express appreciation and commendation to the

employee for his/her contribution to the team and willingness to grow and improve (if true)

 Use “LB’s” and “NT’s”

 LB = “Liked Best”

 NT = “Next Time”

 “Here’s what I liked best about [your per-

formance]…. Here’s what to keep in mind next time….”

 Remain fair and unbiased by focusing on:

 Performance, not personalities;

 Resolution, not blame

 Valid, concrete, relevant issues rather than subjective emotions and feelings

b. Communicate

 Encourage employee to talk by asking open-

ended questions

 Talking should be 50 / 50 or better (you listen more)

 Listen carefully and thoughtfully

 Don’t say things in such a way that it puts the employee on the defensive (use word soften-

ers)

 Be specific on any necessary areas of improve- ment

 Focus 10% on relevant past; 30% on the pre- sent; 60% on the future

c. Develop a Performance Improvement Plan (if nec-

essary)

 Involve employee in the development plan.

Ask, “What are your thoughts/feelings on im- proving in this/these area(s)?”

 Show the benefits of improvement

 Make improvement criteria measurable

 Reach an agreement with the employee on performance improvement and method, and

then gain his/her commitment

d. Reiterate appreciation and thanks

 Build up and encourage the employee

 Express your confidence in him/her

 Reiterate that your job is to help him/her suc-

ceed

e. Give Credit Where Credit is Due

f. Full-Circle Feedback

 Ask employee for feedback (LB/NT’s) on how you are doing as manager

 Ask employee for any suggestions on improving as a leader

 Really listen to what he/she says and don’t

take offense

3. After

a. Accept and insist on personal responsibility

 Follow through on coaching employee for im-

provement

 Provide any necessary training

b. Communicate—keep the employee informed

 Do regular coaching and feedback sessions if necessary

c. Grow from this experience!

Ask yourself, “What did I learn from this to make me

a more effective leader?”