For many organisations, the performance management culture still centers on the performance appraisal system and is regarded by many as nothing more than a formal, box ticking activity. Our research shows that many organisations find the performance appraisal system to be a restraining factor in helping individuals and teams feel motivate and engaged. Whilst the appraisal system helps to manage performance it has minimal impact on actually improving and optimising performance. It’s the conversation that really counts.  Indeed, 44% of organisations reported a lack of such conversations to be a major impediment to success!

Open and constructive Conversations around performance should be an on-going process, one that is interwoven within the cultural fabric of the team, department and organisation – rather than an annual burden.

Yet a big gap exists between current practice and what many believe makes for strong performance management. Particularly striking was the response with regards to Feedback. Of those surveyed, 71% agreed with the statement that “People lack the skills and confidence to give and receive open and honest feedback,” with comments reflecting the widespread view that feedback is often considered time consuming and difficult to express honestly and constructively.

This is an interesting statistic, considering a recent XpertHR Survey on performance management found that almost half of employees see the lack of feedback as a “major obstacle,” and yet 51% cite it as the best way of tackling underperformance. It seems that managers do recognise the need for feedback, but that they also need to feel more confident and capable when it comes to having those performance conversations.

When it comes to Ownership, only 33% of those questioned agree that managers take full responsibility in managing performance as an integral part of their role. People’s comments  again suggested that managing performance can be arduous and time consuming, with managers rarely taking full ownership for poor performance; one participant went so far as to write, “our managers often cannot describe what good or poor performance looks like!”

The Outstanding Performance Manager workshop is all about the ‘Performance Conversation’.  It provides a highly practical experience to transforming how managers think, behave and communicate with people about performance. Equipping delegates with what they need to be confident and skilled in being able to have honest, adult performance conversations, whatever the situation.

There are two main types of performance conversations. Goal conversations which help provide clarity and direction as well as manage expectations. Feedback conversations which help to review and improve performance as well as hold people accountable. These conversations come in a variety of forms with wide ranging characteristics. Some are good news, some are bad news. Some have a single issue, some are more complex, some are planned others are not, some are wanted others are definitely not. An Outstanding Performance Manager not only needs to be ‘Ready’, understanding the situation and preparing an approach – they need to be highly Versatile, quickly adapting one’s style according to each situation.

Not only that, but there are many variables that influence each performance conversation and which together have an impact on how the conversation goes and the ultimate result. Timing, motivations, trust, personalities, potential consequences to name just a few

Outstanding Performance Managers need to understand the person they are interacting with so that they can effectively build trust, engagement and cooperation. This requires advanced thinking, preparation and exploration. The one thing that represents a weakness for many managers. Subsequently many performance conversations lead to misunderstanding, difference in expectations, conflict and emotions running unnecessarily high.

Many managers avoid conversations about performance or have poor quality conversations which can lead to decreased engagement, productivity and ultimately results.

It’s the fears, ego and emotional hang-ups that often get in the way and influence how managers have conversations with people about their performance. It’s the stuff going on in our heads that’s the biggest barrier. It can be difficult to be calm when under pressure….to think rationally when being defensive…to think clearly and make tough decisions when there is ambiguity…to be honest, open and direct when worried about saying the wrong thing or offending.

Raising self-awareness. Challenging oneself. Being Prepared. Behaving appropriately. All essential to be an Outstanding Performance Manager.

In a recent XpertHR survey 73% of organisations saw the lack of competence and confidence of their line managers as the main barrier to successful management of employee performance.

Charlotte writes that…”Whilst it seems that this problem has been widely acknowledged, not many employers have succeeded – or even attempted – to transform managers’ behaviours in this area”.

Following her attendance on our forum and what she experienced, Charlotte writes…”It will be interesting to see if Global Edge’s methods can help reverse this trend”.

Read Charlotte’s full blog about her experience on the forum here.

1. It delivers real and quantifiable ROI in terms of measurable change in the quality and impact of performance conversations and how this translates into increased engagement and productivity
2. Unlike other programmes which focus on the skills and techniques to manage performance, our programme changes behaviours
3. It engages at a whole new level. We get inside people’s brains to change mindsets and attitudes and achieve real, permanent change in how people manage performance.
4. The workshop is “hard –hitting”… and it puts delegates in real life scenarios where they are actually having different types of performance conversations.
5. Above all we raise self-awareness uncovering the anxieties and fears which can often get in the way of ‘being’ an Outstanding Manager. We get delegates to be comfortable with their discomfort.

Targeted for an organsation’s management population, this programme has evolved through 18 months of survey research and listening to potential clients. A key part of this research has been generated through previous Insights Forums where different organisations have openly shared their challenges, experiences and insights on how to build a performance advantage.

The forum was attended by XpertHR, Charlotte Woolfe – read her blog about her experience on the forum here.

The presentations from BBC Worldwide and Network Rail were very well received by delegates, who found their stories inspiring, thought provoking and highly relevant. Many specifically commented, that what was most useful, was having the opportunity to meet people from other organisations to share challenges, ideas, and experiences.

Everyone who attended has the passion and desire to help build a ‘performance advantage’ in their organisations and together we openly explored:

• The challenges of driving people performance within the current economy
• Making new ideas stick – leading change to enhance performance
• The importance of honest conversation and strong relationships in managing performance
• The role of leaders in bringing strategy to life
• The art of motivating others through inspiring leadership and communication

Finally, there was an opportunity to ask questions, network and have good conversation over a delicious breakfast.

Please do take a look at our film clip opposite which provides a good sense of the quality of discussion, sharing and insights we generated on the day.

If you were not able to attend the session, please do get in touch and we would be happy to arrange a time to meet and share the specific insights and learnings from session, as well as the results and conclusions from our recent performance management survey.

For many businesses, the performance management culture still centers on the performance appraisal system and is regarded by many as nothing more than a formal, box ticking activity.

At Global Edge, we believe that open and constructive Conversations around performance should be an on-going process, one that is interwoven within the cultural fabric of your business, rather than an annual burden. Through our research and experience, we have identified a further nine ingredients which we believe are critical for an organisation to become world-class at driving and managing performance. These include Feedback, Ownership, Engagement and Clarity.

We based our survey, on these ten ingredients, asking participants to select one of two statements on each that most fitted how performance is managed within their own organisation. .

For many of the ingredients, it seems that a big gap exists between current practice and what we believe makes for strong performance management. Particularly striking was the response with regards to Feedback. Of those surveyed, 71% agreed with the statement that “People lack the skills and confidence to give and receive open and honest feedback,” with comments reflecting the widespread view that feedback is often considered time consuming and difficult to express honestly and constructively.

This is an interesting statistic, considering a recent XpertHR Survey on performance management found that almost half of employees see the lack of feedback as a “major obstacle,” and yet 51% cite it as the best way of tackling underperformance. It seems that managers do recognise the need for feedback, but that they also need to feel more confident and capable when it comes to having those performance conversations.

The same XpertHR Survey also found that only 8% of employers feel that they have succeeded in tackling underperformance. Our results concerning another ingredient – Ownership – may point to one of the main reasons why, with only 33% of those questioned agreeing that managers take full responsibility in managing performance as an integral part of their role. People’s comments  again suggested that managing performance can be arduous and time consuming, with managers rarely taking full ownership for poor performance; one participant went so far as to write, “our managers often cannot describe what good or poor performance looks like!”

With the lack of feedback, ownership from managers and the fact that less than half of participants feel engaged or motivated by their leaders  (Engagement), it is therefore unsurprising that 65% of participants feel that they often do not know what is expected of them and  how their performance will be monitored (Clarity). Many of the comments suggested that these are all challenges businesses are trying to tackle; however, it is clear that more needs to be done, especially in environments where one participant admitted, “Change is fast.”

Global Edge have been asked to recruit a Business Development Manager with a strong track record of achievement in winning new business who can demonstrate the drive to generate profitable Talent Management consultancy sales.

The successful candidate will take overall responsibility for organising corporate sales campaigns and managing the corporate sales lead generation process in addition to identifying and converting major sales opportunities.

You need to have:

• Successful track record of selling complex consulting solutions.
• Experience within the Talent Management consulting sector.
• Proven history of new business accomplishment and initiatives.
• Demonstrated ability to meet and beat assigned targets and deadlines consistently.
• A consultative and collaborative style essential for working effectively in a matrix management environment in a&dc.
• Excellent persuasive communication and negotiation skills.
• Passion and drive, resilience and thrive on challenge!

Ideally you are:

• Outgoing and decisive with the ability to work independently with minimum supervision.
• Experienced in Talent Management Solutions.
• Familiar with marketing and PR principles and experience of working closely with a marketing team to generate and manage relevant campaigns.
• Highly motivated, with lots of initiative.

Competitive benefits package, including generous commission, non-contributory pension, car allowance and healthcare.

If interested in this opportunity, please send send your CV with covering letter to Jeff Benveniste at jeff@theglobaledge.com

The results demonstrate that the issue of underperformance continues to be wide-spread within organisations and the extent of this concern has changed very little since 2008.  It’s interesting to note that the most important aspect to this is manager competency and confidence in having ‘performance conversations’.

Here are some of the highlights from the results:

• 82% felt their company managed the performance of their staff, at all levels, ineffectively, if at all.
• 95% of employers say that the predominant issue in ensuring the ongoing improvement of performance is the competence and confidence of managers.
• 44% of employers report that a lack of feedback conversations within their organsiations is a major impediment to success.
• 81% of employers operate a ‘formal’ performance management process, whilst only 14% have an ‘informal’ one.
• There is an increasing trend to adopt a more collaborative, approach to managing performance as opposed to formal appraisal meetings (provision of feedback up 9% and coaching by 15%).
•  90% of employers say they have an ‘issue’ with underperformance whilst only 4% feel they have been very successful at tackling it.
•  Capability is the most common poor-performance issue (74%)

We are helping them find an experienced Learning and Development professional with recent experience in the legal sector, for a 3 month interim assignment, based in London. Immediate start.

Responsibilities:

• Keeping the learning and development department in EMEA running, handling questions, queries, providing guidance, progressing CPD process and managing two administrators.
• Reviewing and developing the existing business skills training portfolio, including starting the process of integration with associate framework and competencies as well as sourcing and working with training providers on content.
• Reviewing the development workshops currently in place and revising them based on feedback and the competencies the firm is aiming to develop.
• Providing support on legal skills development.

Successful candidates need to be smart, driven and focused and

• be quick to understand the environment and needs
• have strong attention to detail
• have an open and supportive approach to help steady and rebuild the team
• have the ability to see the ‘wood from the trees’ and identify what needs to be accomplished,

Salary: £60,000 per anum (pro-rata)

To apply, please send a covering note and CV to Jeff Benveniste at jeff@theglobaledge.com or call Jeff direct on 01923 230 433.

They have current and increasing demand from their clients in Asia and are looking for a high level (associate) trainer/facilitator to join their team .

Ideally based in Shanghai, you will have the following strenghts, experiences and attributes:

• Multinational industry experience
• Training/consulting at high level, including high degree of capability in facilitation skills as well as highly interactive training/instructional skills
• Experience of global, remote/virtual team or matrix working
• Strong corporate experience and credibility
• Line-management in Multi-nationals
• Mandarin Chinese (Putonghua) fluent and able to deliver workshops in the language; Cantonese Chinese fluency would be nice-to-have
• Fluent in English and able to run workshops in the language
• High energy and drive
• Desire to travel
• Someone with gravitas  and works well on their feet
• High degree of integrity and respect for protection of proprietary intellectual property

For further information and to explore the opportunity, please contact Jeff Benveniste by email (jeff@theglobaledge.com) or phone (+44 1923 230 433).

Candidates will need to following: 

• Strong Business Development experience
• Comfortable with selling/building relationships to sell
• Good facilitation skills in the room and able to deliver programs with managers and leaders at a fairly senior level(middle-senior)
• Strong cross-cultural awareness and able to relate to sharp, focused and highly intelligent Asian audiences
• Good client management experience and able to follow-through on projects
• Self-managed, autonomous but also able to fit into a small team
• Expertise in areas of Leadership Development, Organisational Development or Personal Effectiveness
• Ideally educated to Masters Standard and be proficient in a variety of psychometrics.
• Able to demonstrate credibility from previous management/leadership/HR experience.

Remuneration and Benefits:

• Basic Salary S$110000
• Private Medical and Dental Insurance
• Pension Contributions in accordance with the provisions of the Central Provident Fund Act, or an equivalent contribution to an alternative provider
• Participation in the annual bonus schemes for consultants and all staff, at the discretion of the Board
• Paid Holiday of 25 days plus 11 Days recognised Public Holidays in Singapore
• A personal Development Budget of up to S$6000 per annum(£3000)
• An Employment Pass for duration of employment

Please contact to Jeff Benveniste at jeff@theglobaledge.com for information about the role.