| When it comes to performance, what one employee | | | | tasks impacts other employees. Does it impact how |
| does (or does not do) can negatively impact the | | | | fast others are able to process requests from |
| performance of other employees. Think about the | | | | customers? Does it impact how fast others are able |
| employee who does not submit information on time to | | | | to deliver products to customers? During your |
| a coworker who needs it to complete a critical report. | | | | discussion, explain how the lack of productivity affects |
| Think about the employee who fails to schedule the | | | | the end “product or service” others provide. |
| training room for a coworker who must conduct a | | | | 3. Quality: When work is incomplete or incorrect, what |
| training class. You can probably think of numerous | | | | is the impact on other employees? Quality could impair |
| similar situations you have encountered in the past or | | | | others ability to give accurate information to |
| are encountering now. | | | | customers. Quality could also cause others to have to |
| So why not use what you know about “how one | | | | redo assignments. When you talk about quality, highlight |
| employee’s performance impacts other | | | | the negative impact on the “jobs” that others do. |
| employees” to encourage better performance? | | | | Using An “Impact Focus” Is Useful |
| How? When you talk about performance problems, | | | | When you talk to employees about poor performance, |
| talk about the impact on the “work” that others | | | | you want to explain “why” good performance |
| do. Here are three ways: | | | | matters from a “work” perspective. Of course, |
| 1. Timeliness: Consider how a failure to meet deadlines | | | | you can always use the paycheck and performance |
| prevents other employees from completing their | | | | rating as primary reasons. But these reasons don’t |
| assignments in a timely manner. Describe the specific | | | | necessarily encourage employees to perform well |
| assignments of others and emphasize how important | | | | continuously and consistently. And that’s the kind of |
| these assignments are. Keep the focus on the | | | | performance you want. So you need other ways to |
| “value of the assignment." | | | | discuss performance improvement. Try this one. You |
| 2. Productivity: Think about how a failure to accomplish | | | | may get the performance you want. |