Retail Observer

RETAILOBSERVER.COM APRIL 2015 44 Libby Wagner Culture Coach Libby Wagner, author of The Influencing Option: The Art of Building a Profit Culture in Business, works with clients to help them create and sustain Profit Cultures. www.libbywagner.com RO T he language you use in managing and enhancing performance is essential to have the impact you want on effective and efficient communication to create strong supervisory relationships while also supporting excellent results. Language matters: in your performance conversations, as well as in your written documentation. Here are some ideas that can help: 1. Be Specific. No, really specific. Most of the rest of the "tips" are some variation around specificity. It's so critical in performance language because it takes the guessing out of what's going well or what needs to be improved. As you are writing your comments, try to see through a filter of the following questions: Have I set this person up for success and improvement? Have I used language that paints a picture about what I really want? Have I noted specifically what is going well, if appropriate, so they can build on those behaviors? 2. Base Language on Observable Behaviors. Performance language needs to be rooted in a firm foundation of verbs, words that denote action and behaviors. What are the behaviors that lead to the results of this person's performance? Whether the desired skills are technical or interpersonal (or both), what behaviors are you able to observe? If they are not doing something that you expect or they are doing something you want them to stop, it's important to base your comments on the actual behaviors themselves. 3. Tie Language to Specific Goals, your company values, or major initiatives. All work performance should be aligned with the overall organization goals, mission and values. Your job as supervisor or manager is to help each employee have a clear line of sight from their job tasks and skills and the overall vision. Each task, goal or activity should be linked in language, too. This also answers the why-am-I- doing-this? question for the employee. Link your comments about performance to a tangible goal or desired outcome. 4. Be Balanced. Good communication balances the language of Accountability and Respect. If you tip the scales one way: all the language is vague and "nice," the employee (and your written record) are not specific enough to communicate what's really going well and what you want them to replicate in their performance. If the language is too heavy on the use of words like "always" or "never," you may be implying a certain percentage of work performance that's not accurate. Balance your comments with accurate, specific recognition, and clear, effective language for improvement. What performance improvements or changes will help enhance this person's work, contribution and work experiences? How can you say this in a balanced way, being both direct (specific) and respectful (but not vague)? 5. Focus on What You Want to See. If someone's performance is sub- standard or inconsistent, you need to be specific about what you want to see changed (the desired result or behaviors), and include one or two examples of what's not working, if applicable. You need to document both what's important to change, and what the contrast or mismatch is in the current performance. If you're not certain about how to do this, seek assistance or coaching, but it is important to be honest about what needs to change and what you want it changed into. Don't make people guess about how to improve. Use language that helps them know what "standard" or "excellence" looks like in terms of performance behaviors. 6. Use Timeframes. Many times, with good intention, we ask for what we want to see changed in performance, and perhaps we even use specific language and map out what the change should be. Then, we become frustrated because we don't see those changes happening quickly enough, or with the sense of urgency we desired to see. Many miscommunications have occurred when we don't add a "by when" element to our language. What's the timeframe desired? When will you follow up (or do you want them to follow up) to make sure benchmarks and goals for improvement are met? 7. Use Language to Frame Conversations. Ideally, any written document about performance is a conversation tool and a way to frame our working relationship with each other. Use the comments sections as a way to not only record the highlights of your desires for performance enhancements, but also to strengthen your relationship with your employee by having an actual conversation with them about their performance. Your regular one-on-one conversations can inform your review conversations and documentation, and can truly enhance performance, results, and relationships. Everyone wants specificity and clarity when it comes to performance enhancement and improvement, as well as positive feedback about progress and results. SEVEN TIPS FOR USING PERFORMANCE LANGUAGE TO INFLUENCE RESULTS

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