The Performance Management Pack in 40 Characters

The
Performance Management
Pack
The Manager’s Materials

This pack provides a framework you can use to run a performance
management session. The aims of the sessions are:
To clarify the person’s strengths - the activities in which they
deliver As, as well as where they deliver Bs and Cs - and their
agreed contribution to the organisation.
To review their present performance and to what extent they have
achieved their previously agreed goals.
To make clear contracts about their future goals and the support
they need to achieve these agreed goals.
Taking these steps will provide the opportunity for real dialogue
and a reality check. It will also enable the person to make their
best contribution to the organisation. This pack is made up of the
following sections.
Introduction

The Performance Management Pack
- The Team Member’s Materials
These are the materials that will be sent out to the person to fill-in
and return before the session.
The Performance Management Session
– The Manager’s Road Map
This provides a road map you can follow before, during and after
the session.
The Performance Improvement Pack
This provides a framework you can use in the case of there being
difficulties with a person’s performance.
Finally, it is important to use these materials as a framework,
Please take the ideas and use them to continue to help people to
make their best contribution to the business.

The
Pack
The Team Member’s Materials
This part of the pack is to be sent to the team member two
weeks before the planned meeting. Ask them to send it back
to you at least two days before the session.

This pack invites you to do several things to prepare for the
performance management session. Some of these exercises you
may only need to do occasionally, such as clarifying your strengths.
Others you may do on an ongoing basis. The pack invites you to do
the following things.
To clarify your strengths and your best contribution.
To clarify your agreed goals.
To clarify how you will keep your manager informed about your
progress towards achieving the agreed goals.
To then review your present performance and the extent to which
you have achieved your previously agreed goals.
To make clear contracts about your future goals.
Here are the exercises.
Introduction

Peak performers do what they do best and do it brilliantly. They
also find ways to manage the consequences of their weaknesses.
This exercise invites you to do the following things.
Describe the deeply satisfying activities in which you deliver As.
These may be particular kinds of projects, tasks or other activities. Try
to be as specific as possible and give concrete examples.
Describe the activities in which you deliver Bs and Cs.
The B activities are probably those that you can do reasonably well.
They are not your As, however, or maybe they were once but now you
get bored doing them. The C activities are those in which you have
little aptitude or desire to learn
(Please note: If you have previously done this exercise - and both
you and your manager are fully aware of your strengths - you may
simply move onto the second exercise.)
Introduction

The specific activities in which I deliver As, rather
than Bs or Cs, together with some examples are:
1)
For example:
*
*
*
My Strengths

Bs. The specific activities in which I deliver Bs are:
1)
For example:
*
2)
For example:
*

Cs. The specific activities in which I deliver Cs are:
1)
For example:
*
2)
For example:
*

My Best Contribution
Towards Achieving
The Picture Of Success

Bearing in mind the team’s picture of success and your strengths, this
exercise invites you to describe the following things.
The specific results you aim to deliver towards achieving the
team’s picture of success.
These aims should be written in outcome terms - such as the specific
results you will deliver - rather than as a list of activities.
The specific benefits - to the various stakeholders - of delivering
these results.
The specific things you will do to proactively update people about
your progress towards achieving the results.
Introduction

The specific support you would like to help you to achieve the
results.
The specific early successes you will aim to deliver.
Complete these exercises up to and including the page Specific Early
Successes and send these to your manager. You can then agree on
your goals for the year.
After the meeting you can then complete the section in which you
write your agreed goals for the year.

We aim to build a strengths based team and co-ordinate these
strengths to reach the goal.
We must, however, deliver the Scorecard. These are the mandatory
things the team must deliver. This will sometimes mean everybody
getting involved in doing great work and helping to do the other tasks.
We want to encourage you to build on your strengths, because you
are then more likely to do great work. At the same time, however, it is
your responsibility to manage the consequences of any weaknesses.
We want to manage by outcomes, rather than by tasks. Once the
outcomes are agreed, we ask you to be accountable for delivering the
goods. How you achieve this - providing your follow the organisation’s
agreed principles - is up to you and your team.
Here are the exercises.
Some Background

Bearing in mind the picture of success and
my strengths, the specific results I want to
deliver towards achieving the team’s goals are:
1) To
For example:
- To
- To
- To
My Specific Contribution

2) To
For example:
- To
- To
- To

3) To
For example:
- To
- To
- To

The specific benefits of making this contribution - for the team,
customers, colleagues and other stakeholders - will be:
1) To
For example:
2) To
For example:
3) To
For example:
The Specific Benefits

The specific things I will do to proactively keep people informed
about the progress towards delivering the results will be:
1) To
For example:
2) To
For example:
3) To
For example:
The Specific Updates

The specific support I would like to help me to achieve the
goals, plus the support I will give to other people, is:
1) To
For example:
2) To
For example:
3) To
For example:
The Specific Support

The specific early successes I will aim to deliver will be:
1) To
For example:
2) To
For example:
3) To
For example:
The Specific Early Successes

After clarifying your strengths you will then meet with your
manager and agree on your goals.
When doing this, it is important to bear in mind the team’s picture
of success and your strengths. You will then agree with your
manager on your contribution towards achieving this picture of
success.
Try to write your goals in outcome terms. Describe the actual
things you will deliver, rather than a set of activities.
You can then keep referring back to these goals when having
ongoing meetings with your manager.
Introduction

1) To
For example:
- To
- To
- To
After meeting with my manager, the agreed
specific results that I will aim to deliver are:

This section provides a framework you can use for meeting
regularly with your manager.
Bearing in mind the results you aim to deliver, it invites you to do
the following things.
Describe the specific outcomes you have agreed to deliver.
Describe the specific things you have delivered in the past month
(or other time frame).
Describe the specific things you aim to deliver in the next month
(or other time frame).
Describe any other things you would like to discuss in the meeting
with your manager.
Introduction

The specific outcomes - the
results - I aim to deliver by … are:
1) To
For example:
2) To
For example:
3) To
For example:
The Specific Goals

The specific things that I have delivered in the past
month towards achieving these goals have been:
1) To
For example:
2) To
For example:
3) To
For example:
The Past Month

The specific things that I aim to deliver in the
month towards achieving these goals are:
1) To
For example:
2) To
For example:
3) To
For example:
The Next Month

The other things I would like to discuss - such as any
challenges I face, my plans for tackling these, any support
I need and any other topics I would like to explore - are :
1) To
2) To
3) To
The Summary

This section provides a framework you can use to assess your own
performance. It invites you to do the following things.
Describe each of the specific agreed goals you aimed to achieve.
Describe the rating you would give yourself in terms of achieving
each of these specific goals. Do this on a scale 0-10.
Describe the specific things you believe you are doing well - or have
done well - and how you can build on these things.
Describe the specific things you believe you can do better and how.
You can send this part of the review to your manager before
meeting with them. This will provide some material that you can
discuss during the meeting.
After the meeting you can then do an exercise where you describe
your future agreed goals. We will give more explanation about this
later in the materials.
Introduction

1) To
For example:
- To
- To
- To
The rating I would give myself in terms of
achieving this goal - on a scale 0-10 - would be:
____ / 10
My Agreed Goals Were The Following

2) To
For example:
- To
- To
- To
____ / 10

3) To
For example:
- To
- To
- To
____ / 10

1)
For example:
-
2)
For example:
-
3)
For example:
-
What I Am Doing Well. The specific things
I am doing well - or have done well - are:

1)
For example:
-
2)
For example:
-
3)
For example:
-
The specific things I can do to
build on what I am doing well are:

1)
For example:
-
2)
For example:
-
3)
For example:
-
What I Can Do Better. The specific
things I can do better and how are:

This section provides a framework you can use complete after the
performance review.
It follows the same format as before for describing your agreed
goals. You can then keep referring back to these outcomes when
having discussions with your manager.
As mentioned earlier, it is important to proactively keep people
informed about your progress.
You can use the framework shown earlier for meeting with your
manager on a monthly basis.
This framework is included again to provide a template for these
meetings.
Introduction

The
Session
The Manager’s Road Map
For Running A Session

Set-up a time and place to meet for the performance management
session.
Make sure you will have plenty of time to prepare. It is good if you
can arrange the session at least three weeks in advance. Allow at
least one and a half hours for the session.
In addition to setting aside time for your own preparation for the
session, make sure that you leave at least half an hour clear before
the session to get in the right frame of mind.
Send The Performance Management Pack - The Team Member’s
Materials - to the person at least two weeks before the session.
Ask them to complete the appropriate exercises and return these to
you at least 3 days before the session.
Step 1: Before The Session

Set aside time to prepare properly for the session.
Spend at least an hour preparing for the session. Looking at the
various exercises, it will be important to focus on those that are
relevant. At various times these may include the following.
You can focus on the My Strengths, My Best Contribution and My
Agreed Goals exercises.
Looking at these, you may want to explore the following themes.
What do you believe are the activities in which the person can
deliver As? Where do they deliver Bs and Cs?
Bearing in mind the person’s strengths, what do you believe would
be their best contribution to the team or organisation?
If the person has already had a session with you, what were the
agreed goals the person aimed to deliver?

You can focus on the My Performance Review exercise.
Looking at the person’s previously agreed goals, how would you
rate their performance in relation to achieving each of the goals?
Rate these on a scale 0-10.
Clarify the specific things you think the person could have done - or
can do in the future - to increase the rating.
What are the specific things the person has done well? How can
they build on these things? What can they do better in the future
and how?
You can focus on the My Future Goals exercise.
Clarify the goals you want the person to achieve in the future.
Clarify the goals you think the person will want to achieve.
Clarify how you can agree on the future goals.

You can prepare properly if there are doubts about the person
being able to continue working in their present role or in the
organisation.
There may be some occasions when it is important to consider
whether the person fits their present role or the organisation’s
culture. If appropriate, it may then be helpful to explore The
Performance Improvement process outlined at the end of these
materials.
You can spend time looking at the person’s returned exercise on My
Performance Review.
Look at the completed materials and focus on: 1) The areas in
which you agree with the person; 2) The areas in which you have
different views. Let’s explore these two aspects.
First, the areas in which you agree with the person. For example,
their ratings regarding to what extent they have reached their
present goals. Consider how you can build on these areas you have
in common.

Second, the areas in which you have different views from the
person. Start by identifying the differences. Then clarify the real
results you want to achieve in any discussion with the person.
Do you want to just give the person clear messages about
improving? If so, do you want to give them a real chance of
reaching the goals? Or is it a case of them not being the right fit for
the organisation in the future?
Clarify ‘What’ you want to achieve. Then clarify ‘How’ you can do
your best to achieve this result.
You can mentally rehearse the session.
Finish the preparation by mentally rehearsing the session. You may
want to explore the following themes.
What are the positive things that might happen in the session? How
can I build on these possibilities? What may be the potential
difficult situations? How can you deal with these challenges? If you
wish, complete the following exercise.

The ‘What’. The specific results I
want to achieve in the session are:
1) To
2) To
3) To

The ‘How’. The specific things I can do to
do my best to achieve these results are:
1) To
2) To
3) To

The following pages provide ideas you can use to facilitate the
session. You will already be using many of these skills.
Welcome the person.
Get the first ten seconds right. Create an encouraging environment.
Arrange the seating in a way that will help you to communicate.
Give your total attention to the person. Get the social part right
before moving on to the main topics for the meeting.
Make a clear contract about the goals for the session.
If it is a first meeting, you can describe: a) What the session is
about; b) What it isn’t about. Ask if there are any other things they
want to explore during the session.
If it is one of the regular sessions you have, it is still important to
make clear contracts and agree on the topics to cover in the
session.
Step 2: During The Session

Demonstrate good listening skills.
Create a good atmosphere in which the person feels safe and
valued. Demonstrate good listening skills.
Ask yourself: "How have I shown the person that I understood what
they said?" Check-out your understanding of what they mean by
asking: "Are you saying that....?' Look for the person responding by
nodding or saying “Yes."
Invite the person to talk through the exercises they have done.
Here are some of the things you may wish to consider when they
talk through the following exercises.
My Strengths
Listen to their views on the activities in which they can deliver A’s. If
appropriate, share your views on where they actually do deliver As.
Looking to the future, explore how you think they can make their
best contribution to the organisation.

My Performance Review
Listen to their views on how they rate their performance in relation
to achieving each of the goals. They will have done this on a scale
0-10. If appropriate, ask how they think they could have improved
any of the ratings.
You may also want to give feedback on what you think the person
has done well and how they can build on these things. If
appropriate, say you would like to share your view of the ratings,
any key differences and how you think they can improve the ratings.
My Future Goals
It is up to you regarding how far into the future you want to set
specific goals. Obviously it would be useful to have a time frame
that fits with the next performance management session in, for
example, six months.
Whichever time frame you choose, you may want to go through the
following steps.

Invite the person to describe what they see as the goals they want
to achieve in the next x months.
Share your view of the goals you want them to achieve. (After all,
you are the key stakeholder and can actually set the goals.)
Agree with the person on the specific goals they aim to deliver.
It can also be good to agree on: The specific things they will do to
keep your informed; The specific support they need; The specific
early successes they will deliver. Make copies of the My Agreed
Goals. The person keeps one copy and you keep one copy.
Finish the session in a positive way.
Make sure you cover all the items on the agenda. Ask if there is
anything else the person would like to discuss. Say what you will do
to follow-up the session and finish in a positive way.

Fulfil any commitments you have made to follow-up the session.
Keep improving your ability to facilitate Performance Management
sessions. You can clarify the following things.
Three things I did well during the session and
how I can do more of these things in the future
*
*
*
Two things I can do better in the future and how
*
*
Build-in times to catch-up with the person after the session to see
how they are doing and provide any support they need to reach the
goals.
Step 3: After The Session

Appendix:
The
Performance Improvement
Pack
Giving Tough News and
Making Clear Contracts

“What about poor performers?” somebody may ask. If somebody is
not reaching their agreed goals, you can take the following steps.
Clarify the picture of success
Ask yourself: “What are the specific results an ‘A’ player would be
delivering in this role? What are the actual words the customers
would be saying about the quality of service an ‘A’ player would be
giving? What would their colleagues be saying about their
professional standards?” Try describing:
My picture of success about what an
‘A’ player in this role would be delivering is:
*
*
*
Introduction

Clarify the person’s potential
Bearing in mind this Picture of Success, ask yourself:
“To what extent is the person delivering these results today? How
would I rate them on a scale 0-10? What is their potential?
“Do they have the right attitude, ability and application? Given the
right coaching, what rating do I think they can achieve?”
Considering your answers, do you believe:
a) The person has the potential to achieve the required rating?
b) The person is more suited to another role - inside or outside the

Carry out the plan to help the
person achieve the picture of success
If you decide to work with the person on developing their
performance, however, you may wish to follow this framework.
Set up the meeting and position it properly.
Contact the person. Explain that you want to talk about how to
continue to improve their performance. Say it is a session about
growing into a role - it is not a ‘Goodbye’ meeting.
(Don’t be afraid to say farewell to people, but there is a lot of work
that can be done before such an exit.)

Ask the person to do some self-evaluation
and then give your picture of success
Invite them to evaluate their own performance.
Listen carefully. Ask for examples where appropriate. You need to
understand their picture.
If it is helpful, give positive but honest feedback regarding their
successes. But there will be hard news to deliver, so communicate
this by moving onto the next stage.
Give your picture of success about what an ‘A’ player in this role
would be delivering.
Talk about the desired outcome because people must have
something to aspire to in the future.
Do not harangue them with details, otherwise it is easy to get into
an argument. Give them clear messages about the following things.

The specific results an ‘A’ player in
this role would be delivering would be:
*
*
*
The actual words the customers would be saying about the
kind of service an ‘A’ player would be giving them would be:
*
*
*
The actual words colleagues would be saying
an ‘A’ player’s professional standards would be:
*
*
*

Invite them to evaluate their own performance
in relation to the picture of success
Ask them: “On a scale 0-10, how do you presently rate yourself in
delivering such results? What do you think you must do to boost the
scores?” Have a short discussion about their self-evaluation. If
appropriate, share your ratings of their performance.
Consider taking a Time Out at this point
If appropriate, invite the person to take time to reflect on the
possible ways forward. For example: You can meet in two days to
explore the options.
(You do not have to adjourn for such a long time. A short break
might also do the trick.)
Why take a Time Out? If the tough news is unexpected, a person
may get stuck in denial. Don’t get locked in arguments about
details. Give them time to lick their wounds.

The aim is for them to take ownership for deciding their future
route.
Explain that they do have choices - and each one has consequences.
For example:
- They can ignore the reality check.
- They can argue about details, say you are wrong and seek
another opinion.
- They can go through the motions of taking ideas on board, but
continue as before.
- They can create a plan for focusing on the role and achieving an
agreed picture of success.
- They can explore other options in the business. For example:
Roles where they are more likely to achieve a 10/10 for that
picture of success.

Imagine the person returns and says that they
want to work towards achieving the desired results
You can work with them to create a Coaching Contract. This should
cover the following areas.
1) Their specific goals. 2) Their responsibility in working towards
achieving the goals. 3) The help they would like from you. 4) The
specific measures that will show they have reached the goals.
The following pages provide a framework for such a contract. You
can then work together to achieve the agreed picture of success.
Continue to work with the person
on their professional development
Providing the person has the will, they may be able to learn the
skill. But what if they are not successful? They may decide to leave
or you may decide they will never get beyond 6/10 in the role. If so,
help the person to move onto other things inside or outside the
organisation.

The Coaching Contract
This to be written by the team member
and agreed with the manager

My Specific Goals. The specific
results I want to achieve are:
1) To
2) To
3) To

My Role. The specific things I see as my responsibility
in working towards achieving the goals are:
1) To
2) To
3) To

The Manager’s Role. The specific help I would like from my
manager - and others - to help me achieve the results are:
1) To
2) To
3) To

The Measures. The specific things that will be happening
that will show I have achieved the results are:
1)
2)
3)

The Performance Management Pack in 40 Characters

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