Top Performers Are Highly ProductiveThey increase their productivity with a combination of strategies: choosing to work on high impact projects, improving their skills and consistently using a proven productivity system such as Getting Things Done. Productivity is a set of habits and ideas that are mastered over time.
"A high performer is proactive about their time and work. They design their day and anchor the most meaningful and important things in time first, and then they allow fires and other unplanned events to fill in the rest of their day.
Definition of a good performerA good performer is just that, consistently performs well across a range of tasks and without any real concerns about how they work, the quality of work they deliver and their ability to meet deadlines and achieve goals.
Why Some High Performers Fail To Get PromotedThey don't need to care about other people. They don't need strong relationships with their peers. They only need to perform at an elite level in their role.
High performers want clear, ambitious goals—it motivates them. And not just goals related to their job, like a sales goal. They also want career development goals, like a long-term plan for getting promoted and advancing within the organization.
Focus on achievementsHigh performers measure their improvement and create feedback loops of learning and growth. You may have heard of people being described as glass half full or glass half empty people. People who are glass half full are generally optimistic.
How to manage high performers
- Stress flexibility, not micromanagement.
- Give consistent, constructive feedback.
- Give them what they need to succeed.
- Tell them how they can contribute and benefit.
- Provide opportunities for personal and professional growth.
- Group your top performers with like-minded employees.
In many organizations, the percentage of high performers is easily less than 50 percent. And it is not uncommon to find companies with 25 percent or less of the employee base represented by high performers. It is critical for organizations to regularly examine their employees relative to performance.
5 smart ways to deal with low performers
- Improve your feedback. One of the best ways to improve your feedback is to ensure it is direct and succinct.
- Prepare an action plan. Either you really wish to improve the situation, or you wish to give up on it.
- Look at the communication channels.
- Set performance goals.
- Follow up on implementation.
Here are some tips for handling this conversation with ease.
- Put Aside Any Negative Feelings.
- Don't Assume Bad Intent.
- Address It Early (and Privately)
- Reflect on the Person's History.
- Consider Your Own Role.
- Ask Thoughtful Questions.
- Give Examples (But Avoid Being Accusatory)
- Keep an Eye on Their Progress.
Coaching is Waltonese for being written-up. This threat hangs over even the most minor of infractions, whereby the associate is taken aside by management and sufficiently bitched out. If you have an active coaching on your record you are disqualified from promotions, and could ultimately be fired.
A much better approach would be to improve the performance of the bottom performers and here are three tips to help.
- # 1 – Positive Feedback. Try to catch them doing something right and offer some positive feedback.
- # 2 – Corrective Feedback.
- #3 – Stop Ignoring Your Bottom Performer.
- Join our community on Facebook.
These coaching tips will work with any of those five levels and can help you have more mutually beneficial coaching conversations that will improve overall team performance!
- Ask guiding questions.
- Recognize what's going well.
- Listen and empower.
- Understand their perspective.
- Talk about next steps.
- Coach in the moment.
Make it clear in the meeting that if their conduct doesn't improve, you may have to dismiss them. Ensure that this notice is in writing. Post meeting, have the employee think about how they're going to improve, and then both parties should sign an improvement plan to set the employee back on track.
- Explain the importance of communication.
- Instruct the employee to express his ideas and feelings when necessary.
- Explain the importance of remaining calm when communicating.
- Tell the employee that communication is more effective when words are chosen carefully.
Top 5 Tips To Handle Poor Employee Performance Effectively
- Be specific with facts in hand. It is important to confront to your employees about their respective performances.
- Consider the needs of your employees.
- Focus on feedback.
- Provide Performance Support Technology.
- Offer rewards and recognition.
This involves 6 steps:
- Establish Coaching Agreement. Identify the specific issue for the session.
- Set The Goal or Outcome for The Session. Invite client to envision their desired outcome.
- Coach the Client.
- Identify and Commit to Action.
- Key Outcomes.
- Accountability.
Skills and characteristics of a good employee
- Knowing the why, as well as the what. Good employees know the reason why their job exists, above just knowing how to do their job.
- Professionalism.
- Honesty and integrity.
- Innovative ideas.
- Problem-solving abilities.
- Ambitious.
- Dependability, reliability, and responsibility.
- Conflict resolution.
Don't take being average too far. Make sure that you truly are average, so you aren't laid off if you don't want to be laid off. Companies RIF their bottom 10% performers frequently, but not their middle 50% performers. So long as you take being average seriously, you'll be fine.
11 Excellent Qualities That Make an Outstanding Employee
- 11 Outstanding Qualities of an Excellent Employee. There are ten characteristics that would define an excellent employee.
- Strong Work Ethic.
- Integrity.
- Positive Attitude.
- Self-Motivation.
- Strong Systematic and Organizational Abilities.
- Good Listening Skills.
- Team-Playing.
5 Traits to Being a Valuable Employee
- Have Integrity. The foundation of any relationship in business, whether it is with co-workers or clients, is building a strong relationship with them based on your words and actions.
- Be a Team Player.
- Be Reliable.
- Take Initiative.
- Think Ahead.
Top 10 Qualities and Skills Employers are Looking For
- Communication Skills.
- Honesty.
- Technical Competency.
- Work Ethic.
- Flexibility.
- Determination and Persistence.
- Ability to Work in Harmony with Co-Workers.
- Eager and Willing to Add to Their Knowledge Base and Skills.
Bad employee traits include a negative attitude about everything from work hours to coworkers to job assignments and lousy vending machines in the breakroom. Constant complaining suggests the employee is a generally unhappy person who doesn't want to be there.
“There are many reasons that good employees leave your team. These can include job offers elsewhere with higher pay or benefits, and a “new challenge.” You also see good employees become disenchanted with management; who aren't providing the leadership and growth opportunities these high performing employees seek.
The very best employees possess three things: (1) They are competent – they know what they are doing, they have skills, experience, and know-how; (2) they are conscientious – they do high quality work, they take care to make sure that work is completed on time and on point; and, (3) they possess common sense – they get
Make his job easier by convincing him that:
- You can do the work and deliver exceptional results.
- You will fit in beautifully and be a great addition to the team.
- You possess a combination of skills and experience that make you stand out from the crowd.
- Hiring you will make him look smart and make his life easier.
