It is leader's responsibility to create an environment in which people can perform well. There are primarily three key components required for an individual and team to perform.
1. They need to know what is expected of them.
2. They need to be capable of achieving what is expected of them.
3. They need to be motivated.
The Individual can be broken into three component
- Target
- Objectives
- Standards
1. Target : There are the numerical factors by which an individuals day to day tasks and responsibilities can be measured. They should be known in advance, preferably agreed by the individual, consistent with their competence level and directly related to the key responsibilities contained in their job descriptions. Most jobs can should have numerical target attached to them, although there target do not have to cover all of the responsibilities from the job description as long as they capture the main once.
2. Objectives : We are interested here in performance objective as opposed to development objectives. I believe that one of an individuals objectives should always be to deliver the main tasks and responsibilities as defined in their job description. There should then be additional objectives to accomplish project type outcomes throughout the period in question. These might include contributing to ream objectives, standardising work practices, implementing change, developing other s and improving processes.
Objective should be written in SMART form
S : Specific : Very clear about what is happening
M : Measurable : Normally through evidence rather than numerical targets
A : Agreed : Developed in conjunction with the person rather the imposed.
R : Realistic : withing their capability
T : Timed : Clear deadline
Some organization will put slightly different interpretation on the term targets and objective, including the use of the term goals. Without wishing to debate the issue here , it does not really matter what performance metrics are called as long as it is completely clear what is expected of the individual, that they are motivated to achieve these expectations and that it is possible to objectively measure whether the expectations have been met.
3. Standard : It is all very well having performance targets and objectives but the third and crucial component is to have clear standards that must also be achieved, i.e. work quality. Consider a sales person who has a target to sell widgets this quarter. They might sell 100 widget by telling lies and making false claims to their customers. Would this be acceptable ? Of course not. Therefore, it is essential to have clear standard of work quality that must be achieved alongside the other performance.
Stardards can normally be articulated in two ways. Firstly, through clear written procedures. Second, via the coaching and delegation process. Again though, the required standards must be clear in advance so that team members can strive to achieve them.
Also Read :
2. Motivation
