What is the biggest mistake leaders make when working with others? Inappropriate communication according to ongoing research by The Ken Blanchard Companies. In open-ended questioning, 1,400 survey respondents identified that too often leaders either don't communicate, overcommunicate, communicate inappropriately through outbursts, anger, or blaming, or simply don't communicate clearly. In addition, leaders may fail to communicate the vision in a way that is meaningful, assuming that direct reports intuitively understand the direction of the company and their role in making this happen.
Providing inappropriate direction was the second most highly cited leadership mistake. Giving direction without involving others in the process, not seeking the feedback of others, and not empowering direct reports can cause frustration and lack of focus. In addition, using a generalized approach to direction rather than considering the person, task, and situation was cited as a key mistake made by leaders.
Failure to address these two important issues negatively impacts the performance and productivity of the people working in the organization. That's because performance planning and performance coaching are two key aspects of a successful talent management system. If you want the people in your organization to meet or exceed their annual goals, be sure that you are setting them up for success by establishing clear goals up front and then providing the direction and support they need to achieve those goals throughout the year.
The Role of Performance Review
Performance review is another important aspect of an effective talent management system. This is where a manager and direct report sit down and assess the direct report's performance over time. This aspect of performance management holds employees accountable for achieving agreed-upon goals and behavior. Just make sure that performance review doesn't become the focus of talent management in your organization.
Ken Blanchard often shares one of his experiences as a college professor to illustrate the problems with this mindset. (Ken taught for ten years before moving into the business world.)
As a teacher, Ken was always in trouble. What drove the faculty crazy more than anything was that at the beginning of every semester he gave his students the final exam. When the faculty found out about this, they called him in and asked, "What are you doing?"
Ken said, "I thought we were supposed to teach these students."
The faculty said, "You are, but don't give them the final exam ahead of time!"
Ken said, "Not only will I give them the final exam ahead of time, what do you think I'll do throughout the semester? I'll teach them the answers so that when they get to the final exam, they'll get A's."
In Ken's mind, helping students to get an "A" was more important than evaluating their performance. He was more concerned with making sure they learned the material than ranking them along a normal distribution curve for grading purposes.
What's more important in your organization?
If it's evaluation, creating a forced ranking to determine reward, recognition, and promotion opportunities probably makes some sense. If it's helping everyone in the organization achieve higher levels of performance, you may want to consider
|
