The three pillars of job performance
Gene Mage
In the restroom of my optometrist’s office hung an
insightful little plaque that read, “No job is done until the paperwork is complete.” But in many organizations, talented
performers work under the false belief that if you “hit the numbers” you are
somehow exempt from the more mundane aspects of work such as getting along with
others, and yes, doing the paperwork.
Therefore, when I work with leaders, I teach that there are
three components of job performance to consider when evaluating an
employee. As a leader, you have the
prerogative to create clear expectations with employees regarding each of the
following areas:
- Results. These are specific measurable outcomes
such as productivity, error-free work, or sales volume.
Some jobs require that individuals sell a certain amount of stuff, produce
a certain number of pieces, or generate a high score in customer
satisfaction. Results are sometimes
measured in length of hospital stay, frequency of medical errors, or the
rate of reimbursement. If everyone
does his or her part, the overall organization wins.
If someone does not deliver the results demanded by the job, you should first
make sure he has adequate training and support. But at the end of the day each performer
is responsible for his own performance.
If the individual cannot or will not do what it takes to succeed,
your best move is to help him find a spot where he can succeed, inside
your organization if appropriate, or somewhere else if necessary.
- Interpersonal Effectiveness. These are agreed-upon standards of
professionalism for how people treat one-another, deal with customers, and
work as a team.
A major hospital system embraces “respect” as a core value. That means that each employee, contractor,
and supplier commits to work with others in a way that communicates
respect, whatever respect means in a particular job. For example, nurses communicate respect
to patients when they listen well, knock before entering a room, and
respond promptly to calls. Doctors
demonstrate respect to the nursing staff when they address concerns in
private, with an “adult-to-adult” tone.
Respectful communication makes the workplace more pleasant, reduces
errors, and accelerates the healing process.
Nevertheless, some people just do not “get it” when it comes to this
philosophy. Some doctors still yell
at nurses. Some nurses still stroll
in and out of patient rooms as if they were inspecting machinery rather
than caring for human beings. In
those instances, customers, peers, and superiors confront the behaviors
through collegial feedback at first, and stern discipline if
necessary.
Some people quit in a huff when held to account for their behaviors, but
that is okay, since they were not really performing their jobs
anyway. This is especially true in
short staff situations when you cannot afford to have any team members in
the non-performing category.
- Attention to Detail. This is how well people follow
procedures in order to create a consistently high quality level for the
customer.
I consult for an organization that had a real dilemma regarding a
particular individual. This worker
had the highest productivity of any member of the sales team. However, this worker also took long
lunches and failed to fill out the paperwork properly. His behaviors created extra work for
everyone else, while sending a message to the rest of the organization
that those sorts of unprofessional behaviors were “okay”. It did not take long for overall
productivity to decline.
Confronting this issue took guts for the leader. She had to make sure the whole team was
clear on the expected standards of professionalism. She then gave the problem individual a
chance to either get on board, or move on.
He moved on, and productivity in his former department returned to
its normally high levels. He was
only 33% of a good performer, in spite of his sales results.
Syndicated Columnist Gene C. Mage is author of the book, Managing for High Performance. Visit www.makingitwork.com
for the complete column archive.