Last week, we started a conversation on errors leaders make in impementing performance management systems and we looked at four of the erros – (1) Inability To Sell The Corporate Vision (2). Focusing Heavily On Vanity Metrics (3) Not Reinforcing, Recognizing Or Rewarding Productivity (Enough) and (4)
Micro-managing People – we aslo looked at what to do to avoid these errors. This week, we will conclude the final six errors and how to avoid them.
5. Unconscious Biases
Leaders are humans too, that means that they are not immune from the challenges that every other human being encounters. This includes unconscious biases that they had been exposed to; some leaders have a perspective on race, religion, gender, sexual preference or political inclination etc. Such that once an employee has a certain social profile that those leaders don’t like or align with; whatever they do isn’t seen with objectivity. Unconscious biases is like a glass ceiling for hardworking employees who unfortunately have been prejudiced against owing to no fault of theirs. These misrepresentations of productive employees contribute to sabotaging the bottom-line of an organization.
Leaders should take psychometric tests themselves to ascertain whether or not they can judge outcomes independently of their biases. There should also be objective metrics of success or productivity that cannot be corrupted by personal opinions of leaders. This will ensure that high performers will be protected from the intricacies of brutal office politics.
6. Prioritizing Profits Over People
It is true that profit-seeking is the main reason for the existence of private businesses or organizations. However, the trade-off cannot be people. Whilst outcomes are great, having great processes is how performance management systems can be better engineered to deliver long-lasting results. Maximizing profits can be a valid goal but employees should not become collateral damage for it. Burn out is a real thing; if people sense that they are very dispensable in the grand scheme of things – they will not feel compelled to give their absolute best. Self-preservation is a natural instinct of both human beings and animals; it takes a level of concern and care for people to put others ahead or above themselves.
Leaders should show empathy whilst implementing performance management systems; the most important part of human resources are the human beings themselves. In whatever is being done, leaders should communicate a sense of belonging such that employees know that they are not just another prop but an integral part of an organization’s success story.
7. Unilateral Leadership
Many people think of dictators in the world of politics but they never imagine that such definition can broadly apply in the world of business. When it comes to leadership styles, many leaders manifest the autocrat archetype where communication is a one-way traffic. They don’t take feedback from those who may have more practical experience in the actual operations or execution of an idea. Performance management systems cannot be successfully implemented why leaders are tone-deaf and insensitive to those they are working with.
It’s team work that makes the dream work. Employees should be involved in the process of planning and execution because they are as much a part of the fabric of successful organizations. Collaboration is the new cool for successful leaders, going further is to go together.
8. Task – Talent Mismatch
Leaders that don’t know the strengths and weaknesses of their staff will undermine the very essence of the performance management system they are trying to implement. The distribution of tasks is a skill that great leaders possess. People are differently enabled; that means that they are not necessarily incompetent but are mismatched. A person can be great at operating machines but cannot represent an organization and communicate effectively. So if a leader appoints an introvert as a marketing manager or communications, he has effectively sabotaged the organization because the deals that would have been secured would be lost because the representative lack the gift of the garb which is needed to persuade the other party.
Leaders should understudy their team members and determine with job roles are best suited for them. Sentiments should not come into play when deciding who gets to do what; the available best isn’t always the best person for a job.
9. Failing to Invest In Training Staff Members
Many organization’s fail simply because staff members are not empowered to do what the management requires of them. In the marketplace, things change very quickly and knowledge is always being updated in a cut-throat environment. The lack of specialized training is a recipe for disaster because they will engage the marketplace with practices that have become stale and ineffective. Performance management systems cannot be fully implemented with staff members who themselves are not empowered to be high performers.
A healthy chunk of an organization’s revenue or profits should be allocated to trainings and talent development. Trainings should also be regular and tied to the aspirations of an organization; in order words –people should be trained for where the organization is going to so that they don’t feel out of sorts in that new future.
10. Ignoring Or Misrepresenting Timelines
Many leaders pick and choose the times they use for measuring success; so instead of using all the touchpoints within a day, week, month or year – some leaders wrongly extrapolate successes from a certain period to represent overall success for the organization. This makes mockery of performance management systems because outliers are mistaken for average outcomes.
Trends should be measured holistically; so that appropriate actions can be taken in response. A false sense of success ultimately does more harm than good. Great leaders take into account everything
Growth Opportunities
To further position your leaders for peak performance, you can download a free copy of the latest edition of The Peak Performer Magazine You can also enrol your Mid-level Leadership Team for the Made4More Accelerator Program and your Senior Leadership Team for the Dr. Abiola Salami International Leadership Bootcamp 2024 We also have an upcoming training for leaders in public service
About Dr. Abiola Salami
Dr. Abiola Salami is the Convener of Dr Abiola Salami International Leadership Bootcamp and The Peak PerformerTM. He is the Principal Performance Strategist at CHAMP – a full scale professional services firm trusted by high performing business leaders for providing Executive Coaching, Workforce Development & Advisory Services to improve performance. You can reach his team on hello@abiolachamp.com and connect with him @abiolachamp on all social media platforms.
