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When talking to employees about performance improvement, try connecting the improvements you want to a reduction in something they want.
For example, you might explain how improvement in a certain area might reduce:
1. The amount of stress they feel in completing assignments.
2. The number or kind of complaints they receive from customers.
3. The number of times they have to redo an assignment.
4. The kind of assignments they have to redo.
5. The number or kind of undesirable assignments they receive.
6. The number or kind of meetings they have to attend.
7. The number or kind of explanations they have to provide to explain delays.
8. The length of time they have to work on undesirable assignments.
9. The amount of work they have to put into completing an assignment.
10. The length of time they have to work with people whom they don’t want to work with.
It’s All About What Employees Want Reduced
The key to lasting performance improvement is to encourage employees to want to improve. One way to start the encouragement process is to uncover specific things employees want reduced. And there is always something that every employee wants to do or see less of. Just think about the last conversation you overheard where employees were complaining. There was probably some talk about a task they wished they “did not have to do.” This is the information you can use in your discussions about performance improvement. Explain how the improvement you want will lead to the reduction they want. In the end, you might both get what you want.
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