By Virginia Mburu
We all know ‘Performer P’……
That one who does
not like their job but does love the payday.
Don’t you just marvel at the many excuses He/She
comes up with so as not to report to work -especially the sick –offs denying your
business the results you pay them for? Never mind that they are the ones who
would make the most noise should that payday be extended by several hours!
Now to the other
‘Performer S’……
The one who cannot wait
to get to work. Don’t you again marvel at the way He/She enjoys the
challenges that come their way and produce excellently wonderful results?
Don’t you keep praying your wish to clone them
would be granted pronto! Please do not confuse ‘Performer S’ with
‘Workaholic M’ who have emotional issues- these ones are unable to
stop working even when it is plainly obvious they do not love their
jobs......
Who is more motivated
between ‘Performer P’ or ‘Performer S’? Your obvious answer may be
‘Performer S’. Why? They are of course producing better personal and business
benefits.
Does this mean that what you the Passionate
Entrepreneur need is to get ‘Performer P’ to increase their productivity and
motivation will automatically follow suit?
If that is so, then it’s
time to look at how to move ‘Performer P’ up the productivity ladder.
Let’s dive into our case
study based on Judges 6-7.
Step 1….. Be clear on
what performance you expect
You will have better
chances of getting results when you clearly spell out- not just what to do but
the why and the performance standards expected.
Also make sure you have the right person for the
job. In short – Have the right skill set and a measurable job description
that is understood and agreed on with your employees.
The community in which our subject under
study (Gideon) belonged to had signed a performance contract with clearly
spelt out responsibilities, standards, benefits and consequences.
They did not honour their part of the deal and
we see them suffering the consequence in Judges 6:1-2 where “The
Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord,
and for seven years he gave them into the hands of the Midianites. Because the
power of Midian was so oppressive, the Israelites prepared shelters for
themselves in mountain clefts, caves and strongholds.”
Step 2….Note the
non-performance and address it
This is where the
performance measures come in handy. If you are continuously monitoring
targets, you can quickly spot the variances in performance.
The point to note here is that the ‘performance
leaks” must be addressed early. Some of us do not like biting this bullet but
you got to do it - NOW!
Mind you, inaction on your part will send a
message to the other team members that it is okay to ‘slack’ while you get more
stressed and irritated.
You might be relieved to know the poor
performance is not news to ‘Performer P’ and they will actually be
surprised if you do not act.
Do not be even be surprised you if they approach
you like the Israelites did in Judges 6:6 where “Midian
so impoverished the Israelites that they cried out to the Lord for help”
Step 3…. Start a
conversation and find the root cause avoiding bias
While getting into this
conversation, first get your emotions in check. You will need to be rational
and objective. All the more reason why you should handle the performance leak
before it starts to stress you!
In Judges 6:7-10, this
conversation starts at a team level. We read that “When
the Israelites cried out to the Lord because
of Midian, he sent them a prophet, who said, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I brought
you up out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. I
rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians. And I delivered you from the hand
of all your oppressors; I drove them out before you and gave you their land. 10 I
said to you, ‘I am the Lord your
God; do not worship the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you live.’ But you
have not listened to me.”
Then you take it to the
individual. Make this conversation
private for best results. Verse 11 states that “The
angel of the Lord came and sat down under the oak in
Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing
wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites.” It was not by
coincidence that Gideon was alone.
Start by building a
rapport.
Despite how badly Performer P is doing, look for something positive on which to
build your foundation. Note how the Angel greeted Gideon in verse
12 “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.”
Mighty warrior indeed notwithstanding the fact
that that he was hiding in a wine-press! Then express your confidence in their
ability to excel. “The Lord turned to him and said, “Go in the
strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?”
Now be ready to hear all
the reasons and excuses as to why they cannot perform. Listen carefully
and you will pick out things like-You are not supporting us as in verse 13 “Pardon
me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but if the Lord is
with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our
ancestors told us about when they said, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and given us into the
hand of Midian.” Prod
a little further to mine and separate the reasons from excuses.
Or, I lack the necessary
skills/ I am the wrong person for the job as in verse 15 “Pardon
me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? My clan is the
weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.”
Come to an agreement on
the root causes and barriers. Be ready to accept your contribution to the
non-performance such as wrong deployment or lack of support.
Step 4, 5, 6,
7 in the next episode
In the meantime, share your comments on
steps1-3 below.
Whatever you do, make
sure it results
in less work, more money and positive impact.
Update
Virginia
Mburu
The Work Less, Make More
Money Passionate Entrepreneurs Coach
Virginia empowers and
motivates Passionate Entrepreneurs to realize their purpose and pursue it. She
then assists the entrepreneurs to clarify, prioritise and focus on management
and marketing strategies and action plans that will get them to work less, make
more money and positively impact within one year. Download some of
her gifts- absolutely free lessons on www.biasharacoach.blogspot.co.ke
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