Partnering for Performance

"The difference between a boss and a leader: a boss says, 'Go!' ? a leader says, 'Let's go!'" -E. M. Kelly

* Are you a boss or a leader?

* Do your employees see you as part of the team or as looking over it?

* How would your team members define your management style?

I ask these questions as a challenge, and offer the opportunity to take a look at your manager/team member relationships.

Merriam-Webster states that a boss is someone who exercises control or supervision; someone who dictates policies. A leader is someone who guides or directs operations, activities, or performance; someone who goes at the head or goes first.

Now think about the bigger picture ? how your management style affects your direct reports and Call Center team. Which person are employees more likely to trust, go to with problems and concerns, or listen to?

I'm guessing that you, as well as your team members would be more likely to approach a leader. Although there are times when a manager must exercise authority, on a day-to-day basis a leadership approach will foster a team feeling and eliminate the "us versus them" perception often associated with the manager/subordinate relationship.

The relationships you develop with your direct reports can make or break the success of your team. Developing solid relationships with your employees creates an environment of teamwork, productivity and success. This environment encourages feedback for improvement. Performance issues and areas of opportunity and achievement are no longer an uphill battle, but rather an effort between partners. This is referred to as "Partnering for Performance".

What is Partnering for Performance?

A partner is someone who participates in a relationship in which each member has equal status. The partnership for performance focuses on the actions of manager and team member for successful achievement of workplace goals. These goals can be related to areas such as improved quality, efficiency, or even ongoing career development. As partners, both manager and employee work together to create the solutions.

Partnering for performance is centered on building relationships and allows managers to create a relationship with your subordinate that harvests success. Communication is one of the key elements to building relationships and tools for building relationships through communication may be easier than you might think.

Communicate to Foster Relationships

* Ask questions and get to know your team members

* Show interest in their personal and professional success

* Verbally recognize performance and achievements (Be Specific)

* Listen to the employee

* Set expectations for your team members

* Ask your team members their expectations of you as their leader

* Discuss how you will support team members in their performance, and what you expect in return

* Conduct regular one-on-one meetings to discuss performance, successes and future direction

* Set goals together

* Agree upon what both partners will do to achieve those goals

What Partnering for Performance is NOT

Partnering for performance is not placing individuals on an action plan or performance improvement plan. Although these plans are components of management and necessary tools, without an established relationship you may meet resistance or be unsuccessful when enforcing them. Managers cannot create relationships with employees if the only conversations between them occur when there are problems or issues.

When partnering for performance, it is counter productive to deliver directives such as telling someone what they will do to solve the problem. Instead, a manager who is a partner would ask what he could do to help, what the employee's thoughts are for solving the problem, or what they think the next steps should be.

Benefits of Partnering for Performance

The benefits are extensive. The partner relationship:

* Creates accountability for the team member as well as the manager.

* Defines responsibilities in the improvement or development processes.

* Establishes trust.

* Invites two-way dialog.

* Develops approachability for the manager.

* Involves the employee in their development path.

The message partnership sends is "I am on your side." "We are on the same team." and "We will work together to accomplish our goals."

When a Partnering Does Not Exist

Managers who do not create a partnership often encounter resistance to coaching. More often than not, there will be an attitude of "us & them" toward management. The environment will look like a disconnected group of individuals working together rather than a team. The manager who does not build the partnership with their team members also may be perceived as unapproachable, which creates a dangerous territory. Team members will not feel comfortable discussing career goals, bringing up work environment issues, or makings suggestions and that negatively affects the work experience. Finally, this manager will be revered only as a boss rather than a leader.

Reaping the Benefits

In Call Centers, managers often spend 90% of their time dealing with the most challenging employees. Mangers work to improve performance, attendance, and overall productivity, but the risk taken in focusing too much time on low performers is neglecting high performers or even steady performers. Like a snowball effect, the top performer may resent your neglect and cease to perform up to what has become expected. It is imperative for the manager to help low performers improve, encourage steady performers to become high performers, and inspire high performers to maintain their standards. One way of juggling all these tasks is to partner for performance. As a team leader, your job responsibilities include evaluating your team's performance and taking action based on that performance. A performance partner identifies employees on three levels (high performers, steady performers, and low performers) and determines a course of action to raise the bar performance standards.

By partnering for performance you can sustain the high productivity of top performers and develop your steady performing team members into top performers.

Top performers

? Approach them about their success.

? Learn what they do well and share it with team members who are not as efficient.

? Discuss where they would like to go in their career.

? Ask their overall career goals and help them acquire the skills they need to move forward.

? Partner with them to make a plan for their ongoing development.

Steady performers

? Acknowledge them for their ability to meet goals.

? Learn what they do well too.

? Provide them with the necessary support to exceed performance goals.

? Ask about their career interests and determine what skills they will need to acquire.

? Partner with them and establish a plan for continued development.

Low performers

? Continue to work with them to improve their skills.

? Determine if the obstacles to their success are related to SKILL or WILL (Is there more knowledge they need to succeed or more motivation?)

? Establish if they need more knowledge or motivation to succeed.

? Partner with them to plan for their improvement in skills.

Partnering for Performance is a tool like any other in the manager's tool box. It is a philosophy for success. Building relationships, commitments and productivity are the tangible rewards of the partner relationship. Partnering for performance is a worthwhile challenge that enables you to become a team leader. Go out there, partner for performance, and say "let's go!" Watch and see how many people will follow!

About the Author

Jenny Kerwin is a writer and member of http://www.CallCenterCafe.com

Members of http://www.CallCenterCafe.com have access to articles like Partnering for Performance and materials related to Call Center Management, Training, Human Resources and Quality. The Café is full of resources for Call Center Professionals including a staff waiting to answer your questions. Take a 15 day test drive starting today.

In The News:

---

PRACTICE MANAGEMENT: What Brokers Should Know Before They Go
CNNMoney.com - 5 hours ago
( Kristen McNamara writes Practice Management, a column that looks at ways financial advisers can build and improve their business. ...

MedaSorb Technologies Corporation Announces Management Changes
CNNMoney.com - 4 hours ago
These statements are based on management's current expectations and assumptions and are naturally subject to uncertainty and changes in circumstances. ...

Reuters
Lehman Private-Equity Arm Gains New Investment
Wall Street Journal - 23 hours ago
The business has $4.5 billion under management, and holds stakes in more than a dozen portfolio companies including a Spanish railcar manufacturer to a US ...
Lehman Deal Spins Off Part of Private Equity Unit Into Independent ... New York Times
Lehman deal on private equity close Reuters
Lehman Said to Be in Talks to Sell Fund to Managers, Reinet Bloomberg
FINalternatives - RTT Newsall 95 news articles

HE-5 Resources, Corp. Announces Reorganizational Changes Are ...
CNNMoney.com - 8 hours ago
New Management stated the following: "We are very pleased to begin our new operations and to share our visions and exclusive development program whit HE-5 ...

Calamos Asset Management cuts 12% of workforce
Chicago Tribune, United States - 1 hour ago
It had $23.8 billion in assets under management as of November, down from $46.2 billion in December 2007. The job cuts were made companywide, except for the ...

CCTV
Management Consulting in the Government?
Newsweek - Jan 8, 2009
In the world of management consulting, high-powered and often expensive contractors infiltrate all levels of a company to determine how it can run more ...
Chief Performance Officer: Nancy Killefer TIME
Obama Appoints Government Performance Officer Washington Post
Obama's performance czar has tried to improve IRS The Associated Press
CFO.com Magazine - GovExec.comall 488 news articles

Amazon’s New Management Console Treads Lightly
GigaOm, CA - 4 hours ago
Today, Amazon ( s AMZN) Web Services announced a management console that illustrates how carefully Amazon is playing its role as a platform provider. ...
Amazon Web Services Launches Management Console CMSWire
Amazon Web Services releases web-based EC2 console CNET News
Amazon EC2 launches Web-based management console Examiner.com
ReadWriteWeb - PC Worldall 29 news articles

Peregrine management drops buyout plan, shares fall
Reuters - 10 hours ago
JOHANNESBURG, Jan 9 (Reuters) - South African wealth and asset management firm Peregrine Holdings Limited (PGRJ.J) said on Friday a management buyout plan ...

University of California regents may freeze management pay
Bizjournals.com, NC - 6 hours ago
A pay freeze for senior management of the University of California system will be considered by the UC Board of Regents during a Jan. 14 teleconference. ...

JPMorgan Asset Management's Bull SA Stake Falls To 1.72%
CNNMoney.com - 5 hours ago
PARIS -(Dow Jones)- JPMorgan Asset Management's stake in French IT company Bull SA (BULL.FR) has fallen through the 5% threshold to 1.72%, according to a ...

management - Google News

Show Me the Money!

Are you ready to raise money for your startup?Leslie Mitts, Managing Practice Leader at the Wharton SBDC and Lead Advisor for the Wharton Venture Initiation Program, tells... Read More

Outsourcing Problem Analysis

As an HR professional, you have responsibilities in several broad areas that have a significant impact on your company's bottom line, directly contributing to the corporate return... Read More

Performance Reviews That Actually Improve Performance

Employee performance reviews are one of the most dreaded tasks by most managers. It is hard to win here ? you can never say enough good things,... Read More

The Comfort Zone

The Comfort Zone I have a friend named Gene, a serial entrepreneur who currently runs a software business. Like many people,... Read More

The Ins and Outs of Internal and External Relations

INTERNAL PUBLIC RELATIONS: Never overlook an opportunity to do internal public relations about your department and its offerings. A training department must, first and foremost, be visible... Read More

5 Ideas To Leverage The 3 Stages Of Career Development In Your Organization

In most industrialized nations, the average age a student graduates from high school is 18 years old and the average retirement age is 65 years old ?... Read More

Introducing the 15 Frameworks of Successful Self-Employed Professionals

A framework is a way of thinking, a point-of-view, a perspective on something. Here are the 15 frameworks of the successfully self-employed professional. You'll find some of... Read More

Counseling Interviews for the Marginal Employee

ACTIVE LISTENING: The most frequent cause of failure in therapeutic counseling interviews is the interviewer's tendency to talk too much. Numerous studies have shown that in counseling... Read More

Take the Easy Route - Delegate

It was 2.30 am. It was cold and dark and I'd been in bed for just a half hour when the phone rang."Alarm Centre here, are you... Read More

Creativity and Innovation Management: Goal Setting

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.There are other useful definitions in this... Read More

How to Hold Effective Staff Meetings

Many people believe that they conduct effective meetings, when all they really do is host a party. Or worse, they deliver a monologue. In either case, their... Read More

Avoid Outsourcing Pitfalls in the Injection Molds and Stamping Dies Markets

When looking to outsource overseas for Plastic Injection Molds or Stamping Dies there are many things to consider. Usually price is the first thing to be looked... Read More

Does Your Management Style Remind People Of Something They Read In Dilbert?

With thanks to Jeff Foxworthy, the comedian who does the "You might be a redneck series of jokes.If you really believe people in your group are lucky... Read More

Hire Winners: Ask the Right Questions

How do you as a manager, supervisor or team leader hire winners? One very successful interviewing technique is behavioral interviewing---selecting the right person for the right job... Read More

Employee Motivation: It?s More Than A Paycheck

Managers often ask, usually with exasperation, "How can I keep my employees motivated? I pay them decently. What else is there?"Offering competitive salaries is certainly important. But... Read More

Auditing Improves Effective Planning

Speak of operations assessment, and we'll hear its significant value. Speak of an audit, and we'll run for the nearest emergency exit. There's no difference between the... Read More

Overcoming Perfectionism

Perfectionism can get in the way of building or marketing a successful business. It can prevent us from moving ahead quickly or from taking advantage of business... Read More

11 Strategies on How to Work in An Open Plan Environment

Many work environments now are open plan, with only a few senior managers having offices of their own. This style of work can have great benefits for... Read More

The Higher You Go

The higher you go, the cooler it becomes. Really? Let us begin from first principles. This is a maxim we learnt in geography about the weather. Having... Read More

Build Your Business (On A Shoestring): Hire a College Intern

Starting up a new venture or business can be one of the most exciting times of your life. It can also be one of the most stressful.... Read More

Don?t Get Down ? Manage Up!

"Experience is not what happens to a man; it is what a man does with what happens to him." - Aldous HuxleyEver have one of those supervisors... Read More

Diversity in the Workplace

As you look around your office, is everyone just like you? Probably not. The demographics of the American workforce have changed dramatically over the last 50 years.... Read More

Stomp Out Leeches In Your Company

Recently, I felt appalled to see a political candidate running on the motto of "Demand More!" That motto oozes extreme nerve, and implies some people think it... Read More

Managing Employees Is A Little Like Herding Cats

Q: I started my small business about a year ago and it's grown steadily. I like having my own business, but I'm having a tough time managing... Read More

Industry Analysis Section of Your business plan

Writing a Business Plan for your next entrepreneurial endeavor is crucial. You will need sufficient capital and a guide to keep you on track. One important part... Read More

The Three-category Approach to Performance Management: Effort, Ability, or Environment

Performance Management is the act of managing personal or organizational performance. What can complicate this process are all the factors that can arise where a textbook process... Read More