News & Views

By Pavitra Menon - Supervisors are often uncomfortable when the time comes to have that “difficult” conversation with a staff person who has been performing poorly by the supervisor’s reckoning, but who self assesses their performance as quite stellar. How do you tell someone that they are totally missing the mark when they are really expecting a raise and not a reprimand? I think it’s much easier to adopt certain practices at the beginning of an employment relationship that can nip these issues in the bud.

A Real-Life Example

I recently fielded a call from a client who was experiencing the situation described above. When I ask her if she had the “what is expected of you in this job” conversation with the staff person, I heard what I hear all too often from supervisors. The organization has a pretty comprehensive job description that describes what is expected and the staff person has a copy of the same. They also recount going over the job description with the staff person in detail during the hiring process. The fact is no job description can fully articulate what needs to happen in order for a person to be successful in his or her job. Generally speaking most job descriptions speak to WHAT needs to get done in order for the staff person to be successful – so the role and responsibilities are very clearly defined and in some instances a section on what constitutes “results” may also be included.

But mostly what’s missing is the HOW piece. How does a staff person need to perform in the role and carry out the said responsibilities? What are those intangibles, those undefined subtleties needed in order to be completely successful? How should the staff person relate to you as their supervisor? What should s/he know about working with you in order to be successful in the job? All of this can be addressed in a one-on-one setting with opportunity for you and the person to dialogue with one another, ask questions, seek clarifications and set the stage for a harmonious working relationship.

The “expectations” conversation is only the first step. It is important to monitor progress against expectations set at frequent intervals and to provide timely feedback. Find opportunities to talk with your staff about what you think is working and what is not and ask for their feedback in return. Develop solutions to problems together and don’t forget a pat on the back for a job well done. Over time, as your relationship builds, you will find that these conversations are much more organic in nature and often happen in the hallways or even by e-mail. This works because you have already invested the time, effort and energy up front and established a level of comfort and trust.

Managing Performance: An ongoing supervisory responsibility vs. an annual chore

Setting expectations, monitoring progress and providing feedback are the cornerstones of any performance appraisal system. And performance management usually evokes negative emotions and is seen as cumbersome, bothersome and, in some cases, anxiety provoking in both supervisors and staff persons alike. It doesn’t have to be. As supervisors, the key is to embrace managing performance as an ongoing part of your supervisory responsibility and not just an annual chore. In our sector where as a supervisor you wear several hats and are under pressure to deliver in many different areas, it becomes even more important to ensure your staff knows what is expected from them and are supported in meeting those expectations so that the work they were hired to do does not become your responsibility as well. Whether you have a formal performance management system and process in place or not, taking the time to exchange ideas with your staff, to listen to them, coach and advise when required and of course correct as necessary, will help avoid the unpleasantness of a meeting with someone who thinks they have done everything necessary to get a great review when in reality the situation is quite the contrary.

Handling the Difficult Conversation

But let’s say you are faced with this situation right now and need to smooth things over. It will be a jolt to the staff person’s confidence level to know that their opinion of how they did is widely disparate from yours. Be sensitive to that. Take responsibility for the pieces that you did not do so that the burden is shared. This will help set the stage for forward movement. Then have the “expectations” conversation. Together develop ways in which you can check in with each other often. Provide positive reinforcement for the things the person did do well. Help the person understand that you want to make this work and that they will need to meet you halfway.

There is no formula for how much talking you need to do with staff to ensure you are on the same page but do talk. Unformulated and unclear criteria for success, infrequent feedback and an environment of "you figure out what it takes to be successful, because we aren’t going to tell you" are the biggest reasons staff fail to perform at their best. As managers we can help our staff and thereby our organizations do better than this.