Tying Employee Performance to the Strategic Plan (Part 3)

January 20, 2014 Selling Comments Off on Tying Employee Performance to the Strategic Plan (Part 3)

By Bill Phillips, Strategen, Inc.

In December and November we discussed, in detail, the basis of Strategic Plan metrics and the need to establish realistic, simple and attainable metrics tied to goals and objectives to guide the overall company and individual departments.

We also developed the concept that management is responsible for the overall company goals, objectives and metrics and that it is critical that the people have a say in establishing their departmental goals, objectives and metrics, negotiating with management to settle on the final ones.  This helps place the ownership on the people for meeting their goals and objectives.

We went into detail on for the need to establish the metrics for the company and individual departments that relate back to the corporate goals and objectives and this loops the process back to the Strategic Plan.

The three items we have been discussing for tying employee performance to the Strategic Plan are:

1. Performance metrics
2. Follow up to determine progress and status
3. Visual management tools to show continuous progress and status

Now it is time to look at the next step in this process, “follow up to determine progress and status”.  We find that owners and managers struggle with the follow up step because it takes time away from the other things they are doing and quite often they are not realistic, simple and attainable goals and objectives with metrics and KPI’s (Key Performance Indicators) to fall back on.

Follow up can prove very difficult for many people as it requires interaction with those performing the tasks and sometimes this interaction may not be easy.  Follow up is the crucial piece to any successful process.  Without follow up there will be no or limited success.

It’s great to establish the metrics but you have to use them to actually make your business better.  It is unbelievable how much data is collected in business and then very little or nothing comes of it.  Why collect data if it is not going to be used?  Many times this is a function of not really understanding the value of the information, not knowing what to do with it and for many, not having the time or the inclination to do it.

As managers, we have to follow up with our people and on the processes we put in place.  We have to know what people are doing to meet the measurables we establish and we have to help them improve.

This “Follow up” function is the coaching function.  It is the “tape” that is viewed after practice and the games.  It is the “Feed Back” that is required to improve. And it is the one thing most managers do not do because they do not know how, are uncomfortable evaluating performance or they would just rather not coach – they would rather play the game.  True “Management” is coaching.

Coaching these skills is a critical part of what we do.  We are here to help you develop and implement your Strategic Plan while coaching and developing the skills to implement the plan successfully.

We are having great success coaching and implementing these methods and skills and our clients love it!

About Strategen, Inc.

Bill has over 25 years of experience in manufacturing organizations.  Bill will go into a company and develop tailored strategies to assist with management and growth and then help implement those strategies.

We are having great success coaching and implementing these methods and skills and our clients love it!