The thing is, Appraisals are perceived to be a long drawn out process that don’t really lead to anything, especially if they are not linked to performance related pay or bonus.  But, even if they are not linked to anything, they should still be seen as a vitally important process in any business for many different reasons, here are just a few:

1.  They allow you to measure whether everyone in the business is pushing to achieve the organisations objectives.

2.  They help the business to identify training and development gaps, meaning you can focus your training budget on the right areas.

3.  Used in the right way they can be very motivational for people, therefore driving high performance and productivity.

4.  It’s a great way to identify top performers in the business who may be ready to move onto the next level, or on the opposite side, where your areas of risk are that may leave you short of expertise if an individual or group of people leave the business.

5.  It shows employees that the business is investing time in them.

So, why do Appraisals just become a tick in the box exercise?  Simple, the meaning behind them has just been lost.  People don’t clearly understand what the purpose of Appraisals are.  It may be that the business has done them for years and they have just lost their appeal, or they were introduced into the business without any real strategy or thought – just a ‘we’ll do them because we should be doing them’.

The first stage to any successful Appraisal process is to identify and clearly communicate the purpose of Appraisals.  This should be instilled throughout everyone, and thought of as a positive process rather then a tick in the box or a big stick to hit people with.

Every person in the business, from the Chief Executive to the people on the front line to the Finance Director to the Support Functions should have clearly defined annual or 6 monthly objectives.  These objectives should be derived from the overall business objectives.  It sounds simple, but it’s amazing how many people in businesses small or large are not aware of what the businesses objectives are.  If this is not the case and they don’t see the bigger picture, there can be a real lack of sense of meaning.  If people understand what the business is trying to achieve, this leads to a real feeling of engagement and a drive to achieve these objectives.

Objectives should be SMART and be agreed, not forced or told.  People need to feel part of the process, not the process dictating to them.

Making sure you are conducting effective appraisals is also key.  Using coaching and listening skills to involve the person in the process, asking what they will do to achieve their objectives rather than telling them what to do.

So, next time to carry out an appraisal, ask yourself – do I think great, that’s them done for this year, or do you think great, that’s the start of the process for this year.

You may also find this post useful – Appraising the Appraisal System

Need some help with carrying out Appraisals?  Take a look at our Appraisal Skills Training Course.

Revolution Learning and Development is a division of Revolution Human Resources Ltd]]> http://www.revolutionlearning.net/2012/02/21/conducting-effective-appraisals-do-your-appraisals-just-tick-the-box/feed/ 0 http://www.revolutionlearning.net/2012/02/20/how-am-i-being-perceived/ http://www.revolutionlearning.net/2012/02/20/how-am-i-being-perceived/#comments Mon, 20 Feb 2012 21:42:14 +0000 david http://www.revolutionlearning.net/?p=2423 It’s fair to say that we don’t walk around with a full length mirror in front of us constantly so we can check our behaviour.  We are not that aware of the signals we are giving off or what behaviours we are sub consciously demonstrating.

Behaviour is very deep rooted.  It is driven by values, beliefs, motivation and attitude as well as our individual personality type.  Because it is so deep rooted, we don’t look at our own behaviour in the same ways other will.

The trouble is, because our behaviour is so deep rooted, and we have lived with it for so long, we think that the way we behave is absolutely correct.  But, more often enough it’s not what we think about our behaviour, it’s the impact that is has on others which is more often enough the issue.

For example, we may think that we are being confident, but other people may look at that behaviour and think it’s arrogance, others might think it’s aggressive.  We just don’t know what the impact is on other people.

When we look at other peoples behaviour it is exactly the same.  They are not always that aware of the behaviour they are demonstrating, but it’s the way they behave and the way that it impacts on us that causes the reaction that we have to them.  We use this to choose the way we respond to them.

We don’t know what is driving the behaviour.  What we see on the outside could well be very different to what is going on from the inside.  We can use the analogy of a swan on a lake.  The part we see is the swan gliding through the water, it’s almost regal.  But, underneath is a very different story.  The swan is paddling like mad to keep itself moving.  But, we only see the top and this is what we really believe is going on.

Perceptions are a funny thing.  When we meet someone for the first time we use perceptions to immediately build up a picture of the type of person they are, and this is what we use when deciding how to interact with them.

So, how can you become more aware of your behaviour and how others perceive you?

Engage Your Brain – Take two seconds before you respond or react to a person or a situation, regardless of the way the are acting and behaving.  Say to yourself ‘You choose to behave like that, I choose to behave like this’.  This will give you the time to engage your brain and consider the way you should respond rather than using a gut based or un-conscious reaction.

Ask For Feedback – If you work closely with people, ask them for feedback on the way they perceive your behaviour.  Don’t be afraid to do this, don’t be worried about the feedback you receive, how can you change if you don’t know what to change?  Similarly, if you find that someone is having a negative impact on you, then give them the feedback.

Plan Tricky Discussions in Advance – If you are about to have a conversation with someone who is particularly difficult for you, then be sure to plan it in advance. Think about what you are going to say rather then do it all off the cuff.

Take A Personality Type Questionnaire – Get some guidance on how others may perceive you by taking some form of personality profiling questionnaire.  These can be a great way of getting feedback on yourself without the need for asking people.

Be Assertive, Ask Questions, Get To Know People – Don’t let your gut reactions or biases drive the relationships you have with people.  Don’t judge, ask questions and get to know more about the person.  Keep an open mind and gather as many facts about people as you can, then choose how you will deal with them or interact with them.

You don’t need to be to over aware to the point of being paranoid about your behaviour, but being a little more aware of your behaviour can go a long way to building long term and strong relationships with people.

Revolution Learning and Development is a division of Revolution Human Resources Ltd]]> http://www.revolutionlearning.net/2012/02/20/how-am-i-being-perceived/feed/ 0 http://www.revolutionlearning.net/2012/02/18/time-management-managing-your-email-inbox/ http://www.revolutionlearning.net/2012/02/18/time-management-managing-your-email-inbox/#comments Sat, 18 Feb 2012 16:48:47 +0000 david http://www.revolutionlearning.net/?p=2417 If you use a programme such as Microsoft Outlook, these can be great tools to help manage your time more effectively.

Here are some top tips to get the best from outlook:

1.  Check to see what distribution lists you are a member of.  If you don’t feel as though you need to be on it remove yourself from it.  This will stop your email box from getting clogged up and you spending times trying to figure out which emails are important and which ones are not.  If you can’t remove yourself from them see point 2.

2.  Create rules for emails.  Rules allow you to tell your email programme what to do with emails when they arrive.  For example, if an email is sent from a certain person you can automatically have it sent to a folder.  Similarly, you can do the same if the email was sent to a specific address or if the email title contains certain words.  See the Microsoft website for instructions of how to do this.

3.  Arrange your mail in folders based on the Cover Urgent Important matrix.  Create four folders and title them BOX 1, BOX 2, BOX 3, and BOX 4.  As you skim through the emails you have received consider which box they fall into.  Put all Urgent/Important emails into Box 1, All Urgent but Not Important emails into Box 2, Put all Urgent but Not Important mails into Box 3 and all Not Urgent and Not Important emails into box 4.  We are in the process of writing an article about the Covey Model which will be on the site soon.

4.  If a message needs action, flag it.  You can add a flag to a message in outlook by clicking on the flag silhouette at the end of the title.  Adding a flag adds the mail to your to do/task list meaning you can review them all together.

5.  If an email has been bouncing backwards and forwards between lots of people and you are the last to receive it, make a habit f acually picking up the phone to talk to the last person or original sender.  It can take ages to read through all of the threads and you might miss something.

6.  Try and create clear titles and influence other to do the same.  Use rules such as starting your email title with things such as FOR INFORMATION ONLY: or IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED:. Give the reader the importance and urgency behind the email before they even have to open it and read it.

If you have any more tips we would love to hear about them.  Add your tips in the comment section below.

David

Revolution Learning and Development is a division of Revolution Human Resources Ltd]]> http://www.revolutionlearning.net/2012/02/18/time-management-managing-your-email-inbox/feed/ 0 http://www.revolutionlearning.net/2012/02/15/influencing-your-manager/ http://www.revolutionlearning.net/2012/02/15/influencing-your-manager/#comments Wed, 15 Feb 2012 22:33:07 +0000 david http://www.revolutionlearning.net/?p=2411 We often tend to think that because someone is our Manager we shouldn’t do anything to sway their decision making process.  We might know some better ways of doing things, but hierarchy gets in the way.

Leaders today should welcome suggestions and ideas of how to do things better, and also should be open to receiving feedback from the team on decisions that they make and they way forward. However, some leaders may see this as the team member being negative and disruptive and because the team member knows this are less reluctant to make their approach.

If you feel as though you ever need to influence your boss, here are some quick tips to help make your approach to them more effective.

The first step to influencing your manager is preparation.  Barging straight in with a list of problems or concerns may very well be seen as moaning, so you should pre-plan what you are going to say.  Think about the following:

See it from their point of view.  Try to consider why they make the decisions that they do.  What is driving it?  Is it profit? Is it people?  Is it for self gain (they want to be recognised)?  By understanding what drives them to make their decisions you can structure your approach to hit on those things that are important to them.

You need to make it seem important to them.  Ask yourself what is important to them.  A great question I always ask myself is ‘what keeps them awake at night?’.  If you can understand what they worry about, you can influence them to think a different way by aligning your concerns or ideas to the things they stay awake thinking about at night.  You need to help them to see that it will keep them awake longer if it continues, or better still help them to sleep more.

Don’t just go with problems, go with solutions.  If you know a problem exists, don’t dump it on their doorstep to fix.  Take some time to think about the solutions to the problems.  Think how feasible each is and pick a few that you think will work, then align the benefits to the things that are important to them.

Define the objective of your discussion.  State what you want to achieve at the end of your discussion.  So, instead of ‘Boss, we have a problem’ try ‘Boss, we have a problem and I need to talk to you to decide if we do suggestion 1 or suggestion 2′.

Pick the best method of communication based on their style.  Try to think, do they like detail, to they just want to get things done, are they slow at making decisions?  Consider sending all of your thoughts to them first by email if they are slower at making decisions.  Then, plan a meeting with them.  If they are faster, keep it short and focus on results and action rather than research and background.

Ask about what they won’t move on.  Ask them what is non-negotiable, but push fro things that are business related and more importantly linked to law and legislation.  Once these things are agreed, start on the things that can be changed.

Highlight the consequences of not changing.  Again, link this to the things that are important to them.  Help them to see how continuing or not changing could have severe consequences.

Using the above techniques should help you to influence your manager more effectively.  If you would like more help, take a look at our Influencing Skills Training Course

Revolution Learning and Development is a division of Revolution Human Resources Ltd]]> http://www.revolutionlearning.net/2012/02/15/influencing-your-manager/feed/ 0 http://www.revolutionlearning.net/2012/02/15/spaces-up-for-grabs-on-our-appraisal-skills-course-in-sheffield/ http://www.revolutionlearning.net/2012/02/15/spaces-up-for-grabs-on-our-appraisal-skills-course-in-sheffield/#comments Wed, 15 Feb 2012 15:23:51 +0000 Heather http://www.revolutionlearning.net/?p=2407 We have some spaces remaining on our Appraisal Skills Training Course in Sheffield on March 16th.

Spaces are still only £149.00 + VAT and this includes one days training, refreshments and lunch and a workbook to take away with you.

To see full details about the course and to book your space now click here

Regards

Heather

Account Manager

We are still offering our reduced price of £149.00 + VAT per person for this course. To book click here or call us on 0845 8381729

Regards

Heather

Account Manager

With our newly revised pricing list, this course will only cost £149 + VAT per person!

For more details about the course or to book click here or call us on 0845 8381729.

Regards

Heather

Account Manager

These questions are fantastic as an ice-breaker or when used for listening exercises. Here are a few of our favorites. Click on the question to reveal the answer:

Enjoy using the questions. If you have any more we would love to hear them. Leave them in a comment below.

David

Revolution Learning and Development is a division of Revolution Human Resources Ltd]]> http://www.revolutionlearning.net/2012/01/13/lateral-thinking-questions/feed/ 0 http://www.revolutionlearning.net/2012/01/13/a-few-spaces-left-on-our-february-coaching-skills-training-course-in-the-leeds-area/ http://www.revolutionlearning.net/2012/01/13/a-few-spaces-left-on-our-february-coaching-skills-training-course-in-the-leeds-area/#comments Fri, 13 Jan 2012 13:15:01 +0000 Heather http://www.revolutionlearning.net/?p=1746 We have a handful of places to fill on our Coaching Skills Training Course in Leeds/Bradford area on February 9th 2012.

We are still offering our reduced price of £149.00 + VAT per person for this course. To book click here or call us on 0845 8381729

Regards

Heather

Account Manager

Spaces are still only £149.00 + VAT and this includes one days training, refreshments and lunch and a workbook to take away with you.

To see full details about the course and to book your space now click here

Regards

Heather

Account Manager