Managing and leading employees start by taking the appropriate measures. The key is to know what to measure in each role.
Managing/leading your employees to improved performance starts with appropriate measures of employee performance. Do not measure everything, but take the time to identify critical items to be measured for each role and make them your focus. Here is how to identify those critical items and lead your team to better performance.
Establish Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for each role
For each role in your agency, answer the following questions.
1. What are the 2 -3 most important results to get from this position?
Focusing on the most important results makes the process more manageable. It also keeps the individual from hiding behind unimportant activities.
2. What are the behaviors/activities that drive these results?
For each result identified in the first step, select two or three behaviors/activities to ensure results happen the way they need to. Do not focus on all of the behaviors/activities in a role, as this will result in a loss of efficiency. Instead, focus only on the most potent drivers of each critical result.
3. How can I measure that these behaviors/activities are being performed effectively and efficiently?
For each behavior/activity identified in the second step, select a way to measure/quantify the results of that performance objectively. These become the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).
Remember, there will be behaviors/activities that do not lend themselves to being measured in a quantifiable manner. In those instances, define the questions you will ask to uncover the needed insights for measuring that KPI.
Monitor regularly
For each direct report you have, schedule a regular one-on-one meeting focused on the measures/discussions above.
Give team members the responsibility to bring their KPIs and measures to the meeting and initiate discussions around those behaviors/activities when quantifiable measures are not available.
With an accurate diagnosis of performance/results, together you can define the course of action to either ensure the great results continue or to improve the results if needed.
Here is an example of a KPI monitoring sheet/template for a specific role in a company. You can adapt/add to this template as you see fit.