One of the biggest challenges that recruitment managers face is how to deal with very different personalities within the team, addressing difficulties with particular team members and not getting a result. So here are 18 quick pointers and actions to help you get the best from the different personalities in your team.
The Poor Performer
If someone is consistently performing around the minimum required standard then this is not satisfactory and you must handle the situation.
Tackling the Challenge:
- Find out if the person accepts that their performance is poor.
- If they do, then the approach should be to find out what they believe needs to be done to improve. This may involve coaching, training, or even counselling should the problem be personal.Or
- If they do not realise or accept that their performance is poor then you must be able to show them the standards and confront them with what is expected. Regardless of the reason it should be clear that the performance has to improve.
Actions:
- The easiest way to tackle poor performance is in small steps. Agree a series of small achievable goals – it is easy to monitor progress and to praise it. Achieving small goals will help motivate them to continue.
- Monitor that performance. Short term can mean daily targets or if necessary hourly.
- As performance improves keep upping the target and get them to monitor themselves if possible and gradually increase the gap in time that you monitor.
- Be very clear that you will not discuss their future or further development until their performance is at an acceptable level.
If you need more help with this – please contact us on 0845 3194838 or email nicky@centredexcellence.co.uk
10X YOUR TEAM’S OUTPUT
“Your team does a lot of work – but they could do better. “
The Star – Champion your Champions
High performers are an asset and it’s worth investing your time developing them. They need input and support just as much as the [under-performers], but in a different way.
- Focus on them as much (if not more) as you do on poor performers.
- Set regular times to discuss their performance, letting them know your thoughts and praise them for their performance. Also explore where they want to go, what you can do to ensure that they are happy in the job, encourage them to continue the level of performance, and discuss their development.
Actions:
- Recognise their achievements – provide positive feedback. Link this to what you know motivates them; some may enjoy publicity whilst others will not, so you will need to find appropriate (non-monetary) rewards.
- Consider/discuss broader reward mechanisms – e.g. additional training or professional development.
- Provide new challenges – new projects, technically demanding projects, project management responsibility. Demonstrate your trust in their abilities.
- Encourage them to inspire others – their performance can rub off on others. Establish them as role models, this can help to raise standards overall.
10X YOUR TEAM’S OUTPUT
“Your team does a lot of work – but they could do better. “
The Acceptable Performer
The most difficult part of a performance interview with someone whose performance is “acceptable” is often to make them accept that everyone should aspire to great performance. So what tactics can we use to motivate them to improve their performance?
Actions & Tackling the Problem:
- Get them to talk about themselves in terms of business and personal.
- Find out what motivates them.
- Get them to talk about their ambitions/goals and what development they may need or desire. From this information you may be able to “negotiate” results with development. “If you give me these results, I will arrange for you to be trained in that”.
- As in all negotiation don’t give anything until you have received something.
- Put clear timescales on the results you expect and tell them when they will receive the negotiated development. Keep your promises!
There you have it – 18 ways to get results from different personalities in your team.
I hope you found this article useful.
If you want to learn how to set up your business, so that it stops under-performance once and for all, then join my free webinar
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