Management Skills
for Communicators
MODULE 2: MAXIMIZING THE PERFORMANCE
OF YOUR TEAM
Angela Sinickas, ABC
[email protected]
22365 El Toro Road, Ste. 139, Lake Forest, CA 92630
TEL: 714/277-4130
FAX: 714/242-7049
Diagnosing and handling performance issues
Aptitude
x
Training
x
Resources
=
Desire
x
Commitment
=
Performance = Ability x Motivation
Source: Whetten & Cameron
© 2016, Sinickas Communications, Inc.
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When to coach or when to counsel people with a
performance problem
• Coaching (“I can help you do this
better): the manager passes on
advice/information or establishes
standards or expectations for a staffer
who generally already knows there is a
problem
• Counseling (“I can help you
recognize that a problem exists”):
usually stemming from attitudes,
personality clashes, defensiveness and
other emotional situations
Source: Whetten & Cameron
© 2016, Sinickas Communications, Inc.
3
Principles for providing
negative performance feedback
Focus on:
• Behavior, not the person: “Your copy has 6
grammatical errors,” not “You’re careless”
• Observations, not judgments: “Texting while I’m
talking with you makes me feel you’re not fully
listening to me,” not “How rude can you be?”
• Specific, recent examples, not abstraction about past behavior: “In
the meeting today, you said…,” not “Why are you always such a
goofball during serious discussions?”
• Their suggested solutions, don’t give advice: “What ideas do you
have for fixing this?” not “Starting today, I want you to….”
• Bite-sized chunks, not laundry lists: Deal with one issue in a
discussion, not several or the person will tune out
• Providing value, not just releasing your own frustrations
© 2016, Sinickas Communications, Inc.
Source: Whetten & Cameron
4
What do your employees want from work?
Don’t guess, ask them!
The most meaningful incentives will depend on an
employee’s values: family, health, economic security, wealth,
personal development, challenge, expertise, achievement,
advancement, recognition, fame, loyalty, responsibility,
friendship, affection, integrity, self-respect, freedom, etc.
Source of potential values: Blessing White
© 2016, Sinickas Communications, Inc.
5
Possible worksheet for assessing a job’s fit with
an individual’s values
Importance to the
employee (1-5)
Current job’s
fulfillment of
values (1-5)
Alternate job’s
fulfillment of
values (1-5)
Friendship
1
4
2
Family
2
5
1
Adventure
3
2
5
Freedom
5
1
4
Achievement
4
3
5
Responsibility
5
5
3
Wealth
4
2
5
Values
Current job scores “11” for this person’s most important values;
alternate job would score “17”
© 2016, Sinickas Communications, Inc.
Worksheet inspiration: Blessing White
6
Potential incentives for motivating
communication staff
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Working on a cross-functional task force
Presenting a report to senior leaders
Working in a different country
Taking a lead role in a new project
Praising work in front of a senior leader
Working from home some days
Submitting their work for industry awards
Providing more autonomy in decision-making
Professional development, tailored to the individual
Asking them to speak at a professional conference
Asking them to develop a new communication approach
Put them in charge of organizing a leadership event
© 2016, Sinickas Communications, Inc.
7
The COP model of peak work experiences
• Being highly Competent at skills and behaviors
that you spend most of your time doing (e.g.,
being at the 90th percentile of a peer group)
• Working in an Organization that needs and
values those skills and behaviors
• Having Passion for doing those skills and
behaviors (e.g., you lose all sense of time when
you’re “in the zone”)
All 3 must be present at the same time for the peak
experience of empowerment and engagement—where you
go from good to great
Source: Zenger & Folkman
© 2016, Sinickas Communications, Inc.
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The COP model of peak work experiences
Competency
Organization
needs
Sweet
Spot
Passion
Source: Zenger & Folkman
© 2016, Sinickas Communications, Inc.
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The COP model of peak work experiences
Competency
Organization
needs
Without passion for doing what you’re good at and what the
organization needs, work is boring and the person is miserable
Source: Zenger & Folkman
© 2016, Sinickas Communications, Inc.
10
The COP model of peak work experiences
Competency
When you don’t feel
your organization
needs what you’re good
at and feel passionately
about, the person feels
unappreciated and will
likely not be paid as well
as they could be in a
different organization
that does value those
skills
Passion
Source: Zenger & Folkman
© 2016, Sinickas Communications, Inc.
11
The COP model of peak work experiences
When your competency
is low on the type of
work that you feel
passionately about and
the organization needs,
the person will be
motivated, but will not
perform well without
additional training and
development—or might
never perform well
Organization
needs
Passion
Source: Zenger & Folkman
© 2016, Sinickas Communications, Inc.
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