2012 - Page 2 of 2 - Optimus Performance

How to use a job description to improve staff performance

Nov 12, 2012 Comments

Job descriptions are a great management tool that is often ignored by leaders and managers. After all, once hired or promoted, people should know what they need to do and just do it. Unfortunately, that is not always the case.

In my previous blog posts I wrote about the top 10 reasons for writing a job description and I also showed how to write one using my job description template. You can download that here as well as the sample job description.

One of the ways to use a job description is to conduct a one-on-one coaching session. The main purpose of this is to assure that you and your direct reports have clear mutual understanding of what the job responsibilities and tasks are. As well, it is a way to set performance improvement goals.

You might already have department or job goals so this might be a compliment to those objectives. However, in my experience small and medium size business owners and managers often do not set clear expectations of performance.

One of the main benefits of doing this type of coaching session is that people will feel more supported and this added attention will provide some needed motivation and a feeling of importance.

Before conducting a one-on-one coaching session using the job description, prepare yourself by starring the top priority tasks or those that bring the highest value to the organization. This usually equates to 20% of the tasks. So if there are 20 tasks on a job description, there are 4 that bring the most value when performed well.

Steps to conducting the one-on-one coaching session

Make sure both the employee and the manger are in agreement of the requirements of the job. This might take a first meeting before advancing to the rest of the steps.
Discuss what is being well performed in the job. Ask the employee what they feel they are doing well and then add your comments and reinforce theirs’.
Identify and discuss the top priority tasks, those that performed well bring the most return to the organization.
Discuss one or two goals to put into action relative to the tasks of high importance
Establish any external constraints that are hindering performance. These could be things like lack of information, resources, communication from others that the employee does not have full control over.
Establish any internal constraints that are hindering performance. These are behavioural issues such as motivation, resistance to change but could also be lack of knowledge and skills for certain tasks.
Discuss solutions to the constraint issues. Ask them what they see as the solutions, discuss and agree.
Discuss action step to be accomplished for next meeting on both your parts to overcome the constraints and move forward on the goals.
Set next meeting date. It is extremely important to establish this before you end the meeting so there is a sense of urgency and accountability established.
Add the date to your agenda and or shared calendar.

This approach can be used at every level of the organization, even starting at the top with the business owner or CEO. If this is not done in every organization both large and small, the boss might find himself doing some of the work of his managers and so on. I will cover this further in future articles.

Please share your experiences on applying this or similar approaches to improve performance through role clarification and one-on-one coaching.

Stephen Goldberg

Business trainer & coach

How to write a job description

Oct 24, 2012 Comments

In this video I show step by step how to write a job description.

I have also added a link to download a job description template as well as the sample job description that I am using in the video.

Click here to download the job description template

Click here to download sample job description

There are 4 major components to this job description

Defining who the person reports to and communicates with
Defining the main purpose of the job and how it contributes to the success of the department and organization
Defining the duties and tasks to be performed
Defining the knowledge and skills needed to perform the job
Defining the desired knowledge and skills to be able to assume greater responsibility
Defining the minimum performance standards

This is a quite simple approach to writing a job description. From my experience simplicity works best. Complex form and too much detail get people bogged down and the descriptions never get done because it becomes too heavy a task.

The important thing is to get them done and then use them as a management tool. In an upcoming blog article I will cover how to use the job descriptions to make managing easier and help improve performance.

Good writing,

Stephen Goldberg

10 Good Reasons to Write and Use a Job Description

Oct 18, 2012 Comments

I was motivated to write this blog article after a coaching session with a client who decided he needed to hire an internal sales rep so he could free himself to work on pro-active sales to his niche market.

There is often a resistance on the part of business owners and managers to write job descriptions. They usually want someone else to do it for them.

But there are many excellent reasons to write a good job description. I have included a link to download a simple job description template.

Here are 10 good reasons to write a job description

Help you to hire the right person for the job
Use it as an aid to conduct hiring interviews
Use it as a starting point to write an advert about the job
Use it to make sure you are clear about what you expect from your direct reports
Use it as a tool to clarify performance expectations of your direct reports
Use it to meet with your direct reports to make sure your expectations are aligned
Use if to set goals with your direct reports
Use it to conduct regular performance appraisals
Use it to identify training needs
Use it as a tool to protect you and your company against complaints of wrong dismissal.

Now ask yourself when was the last time you wrote a good job description and reviewed it with your current employees?

Here is a link to download a job description template.

In an upcoming blog I will cover how to complete a job description.

If all this makes sense then set some time now to get started on this. Once you have written a few, it should not take longer than 1 hour to write a good first drat. I recommend writing a first draft, let it sit for a day and then complete it.

In university they teach you that to write a good job description you need to have an unbiased person observe the person performing the tasks and then write it up. But this is a laborious process that often never gets done. So don’t play it by the book. Just do it!

The job description template in Word can be downloaded here

Generate Results & Staying Focused

Sep 13, 2012 Comments

To generate results you need to focus on a goal.

Goal setting has always been important and a core principle
of any personal development and productivity improvement process.

But goal setting is more important than ever because it is so easy and common
to become distracted and defocused on what is truly important.

I could say that it is because of technology, the web, emails and the influx of new and interesting
information and data to all our connected devices. And that is true.

But the accessibility of information and data is both an opportunity and a curse. All this information
can make decision making more precise if the right information is available at the right time.

But too much information is so prevalent that it can cloud decision making and cause confusion.

The solution is to set goals and keep reminded of them daily. Goals need to be set based on a strategy.
That is where all that information can be a blessing. But strategy takes time. So one must take the appropriate
time to establish a strategy after doing some research and analysis and then set goals.

The challenge then becomes staying on track and blocking out all the noise and distractions that show up every day
in the form of emails, messages etc.

Goals become the barometer to know whether what you are working on is indeed the right thing.

For those who want to be better organized, feel less stress and accomplish more of what produces results,
a goal setting training or coaching would be a fantastic investment.
Here are three things that you must do when setting a goal

1. Put it in writing
2. Set a due date
3. Make it measurable

You can download a goal setting form on this page of our website under the training column to help you apply those three tips.

Stephen Goldberg