HR Voices Podcast

Episode 35: Performance Management as a Strategic Tool

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A podcast for independent HR and people, professionals, and the businesses they support.

Hosted by Mary Asante of HR Independents Ltd.

DATE: 28h October 2024

Episode 35: Performance Management as a Strategic Tool

Guest: Lucinda Carney, Founder of Actus Software and Host of HR Uprising Podcast

In this episode of HR Voices, Mary Asante  is joined by Lucinda Carney, a trusted partner of HR Independents and a renowned expert in performance management. Lucinda shares her wealth of experience, discussing how businesses can use performance management as a strategic tool to enhance both individual and business-wide success.

In this episode we cover:

  • Demystifying Performance Management: Lucinda breaks down the buzzwords and discusses how performance management is often misunderstood, explaining why it's much more than an annual appraisal.
  • Performance Management as a Continuous Process: Learn how ongoing conversations, clear goal-setting, and regular feedback form the backbone of an effective performance management system.
  • Aligning Performance with Strategic Goals: Discover how performance management can ensure everyone is working towards the same business objectives and how it helps smaller businesses, in particular, to grow and mature.
  • The Manager’s Role in Performance Management: Lucinda emphasizes the importance of equipping managers with the skills to support their teams, particularly in difficult conversations around underperformance.
  • Overcoming Challenges: The episode also addresses common objections from leaders and managers, including the time investment required for regular performance check-ins, and how to overcome these barriers by embedding performance management into the company culture.

    • Key Takeaways:

    • Performance management should be a year-round, cyclical process rather than a one-time event focused solely on appraisals or bonuses.
  • Effective performance management helps align individual goals with the overall strategic direction of the business, particularly for SMEs.
  • Regular people-focused conversations can drive engagement, productivity, and ultimately, business success.
  • Training managers in effective communication, coaching, and handling difficult conversations is key to making performance management work.

    • Top Tips from Lucinda Carney:

    1. Make Performance Management a Strategic Tool: Align the process with the business's strategic goals and ensure managers are clear on expectations.
  • Equip Managers with Skills and Confidence: Give managers the training and tools they need to carry out effective performance management.
  • Engage Employees in the Process: Encourage employees to take ownership of their own development and performance by fostering open, two-way conversations.

    • Thanks for listening to HR Voices!


    If you enjoyed this episode, we'd love it if you could leave us a review.

    HR Voices Contact: [email protected]

    www.hrindependents.co.uk



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