In my coaching calls last week there was a lot of talk about performance management. Whether I was talking to the manager or the individual contributor I asked if the employee in question knew what was expected of them. I asked individuals if they knew what the manager wanted, by when, and how they would accomplish what was needed? For the manager, I asked if they were they clear in communicating what the employee needs to do, and how they would support them? This mismatch of understanding is often a great source of conflict for both. It’s funny how both parties get impacted. Both get frustrated, question themselves and each ends up dissatisfied in the relationship.
What can both the manager and employee do to help start with a clear understanding? Typically, companies set goals for employees either quarterly, biannually or annually. Those goals are documented so that each person knows and understands what they need to accomplish and by when. Managers can really help by using frameworks such as OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) or goals that are SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time bound) to get really clear on what the objective is.
For example, asking employees “to grow their understanding of the new ERP system by the end of the quarter” is vague and leaves too much room for interpretation. We have a big disconnect if I have learned 2 modules and the manager thought 5 modules is more of what they wanted to see. I would not have met the managers expectations in this example. Also, I would have been frustrated when I received a “partially meets” on my performance of this objective. Managers need to be as specific as possible as to what successfully meeting the goal means. If individuals see an objective that is vague, ask the manager to be specific or make a recommendation to the manager about what you think is best. This can help drive a conversation between the two of you to get to greater specificity.
You also see this misalignment of expectations when performance starts to shift to the negative. Prior to being placed on a performance improvement plan (PIP) there ought to be a lot of dialogue about why the employee is not meeting expectations. What is it that they are not doing? Missing a deadline is easy to define. Not acting as a team player is more difficult. Providing solid examples of what you as the manager need to see to correct the situation is critical to the employee’s success, as well as your own. Employees need to be diligent in not only understanding what is expected, but also informing the manager of progress. The manager doesn’t see all that is going on. This is especially true if you are remote from your manager, and in the midst of a pandemic we are mostly remote. Usually the manager and employee meet more than they normally would during this time to assess whether progress is being made against the expectations set. It is very beneficial for the employee to report on what has been done. It is up to the manager to provide coaching and feedback as to whether enough progress has been made. And managers, it is quite unfair to change expectations midway through the process.
Relationships have been hurt, employees have left jobs because they didn’t believe they could be successful, people have been terminated as a result of unclear expectations. If you are the manager, be very clear. If you are the employee, ask questions. Clear communication on both sides will go a very long way in building a relationship of trust.