It’s been a while since we last talked about Ubu. He snuck out the door and went AWOL for a while. At least he didn’t come back with a tattoo. In any event, Ubu, our black lab, is back, and cuter than ever.
Last time we visited him, he was sitting as commanded and received a “good dog” for his troubles. In that story, Ubu taught us about positive reinforcement, the best way to motivate and reward the behavior we wanted to achieve.
That is all well and good, and pretty hard to argue with, but a key link is missing in our discussion about performance management, Before Ubu can get a ‘good dog’, he needs to know specifically what being a good dog means…i.e…what to do!!
Ubu needs to know what sit means, what stay means, and what come means. And if Ubu doesn’t know these commands or if Ubu is not my black lab, Pepper, who came pre-programmed for some unusual reason, we need to teach him. (Note: Some employees are like Pepper. It’s rare but, thankfully, it happens. Pay them whatever they want.)
While it seems obvious, many managers do not do a good job of telling employees what they expect of them and teaching them how to do it. Good managers and good companies set performance expectations via a number of different vehicles but the most effective and most common are annual goals and objectives.
This is not the time nor the place for a tutorial on G&O’s but some principles are in order.
For one thing, the specificity of the G&O’s need to be tailored to the situation and specificity should vary. An example of a specific goal is “sell fifty comic books”. But you may also say, if you have actions figures and ballcaps related to those comic books, sell $2,500 of stuff; hats, comic books or figurines. Specific to a point but much less so than the first example. We don’t care if you sell comic books, action figures, or ballcaps. Just ring the bell…to the tune of $2,500.
That gets to the second point. The language isn’t as important as the fact that your employees know what it means. In the military, “attention” is a command that everyone gets. Heels together. Stand erect. Salute. Likewise, “at ease.” But both of those terms mean different things to non-military personnel. This point is critical when you are setting expectations for the more cultural aspects of your firm, like shared values. You can’t say “operate with integrity” unless you give employees an understanding of what “integrity” means because everyone’s definition of integrity is different.
The third point is that G&O’s need to be as simple as possible and, in my experience, we are talking 5-7. Back to Ubu, you can teach him sit, stay, down, come, a few more. And that would apply to most black labs. But to teach Ubu fifteen tricks is much more difficult. So, keep the goals and objectives to a number that is manageable from the employees perspective.
Let’s go back to the basic commands we want Ubu to understand and be able to execute. Sit. Stay. Come. (Note: All business owners and manager should have a dog! They function as an at home HR director.) In your mind, which of these is the most important command?
Your answer may be different than mine but, to me, it’s “come.” Ubu might sit and stay for a while but if a deer walks by, it is going to be tough for him to hold it. Once Ubu has followed his heart, it is really important to get him back. For his safety and your peace of mind. So, the fourth rule of G&O’s is that both you and the employee have a mutually clear understanding of the doggie equivalent of “come.” It could be product safety. It could be new customers. It can be anything. But you, the master, and Ubu, the employee, need to be on the same page as to what the most important goal is!
So how do we get Ubu to perform like a rock star on that most important of tasks, come? If I was teaching Ubu to “sit”, I might use a training treat. Training treats are pretty puny, low calorie things, but tasty to a degree. Ubu likes them but they ain’t filet mignon. He will learn “sit” for a training treat. His alternative is what? Walk around in a circle, wag his tail and get no treat?
But when I teach Ubu to “come”, the most important command, I need to up the ante. Looking at this in terms of Ubu’s alternatives, he can bound through the woods, chasing the deer or return for a measly training treat. Would you abandon such fun for a measly mini milk bone? You can bet your Nylabone you wouldn’t until you are darn good and ready to or just tired out. Not the ideal behavior you are trying to reinforce.
But a piece of cheese? A piece of chicken? Or a piece of filet mignon? Yep. Ubu’s coming. Deer schmeer. Your employees are no different. You want them to do high value stuff, pay them high value rewards. And isn’t that the fair thing to do anyway?
That’s it for G&O principles. But then there’s the unsaid stuff. Like being helpful to others. Putting the customer first. Going above and beyond. Just smiling and being positive. It is hard to put these into G&O’s but I believe they are as, or more important, than the G&O stuff. Why? Because culture drives the bus.
Two things are key here. You, the boss, have to lead by example. Take a lesson from Ubu. When you got home from work, what did Ubu do? He ran down the hall, barked, wagged his tail, gave you a hug. You meet your staff with Ubu-like enthusiasm and watch what happens.
Two, when Ubu does greet you in that way, what do you do? You pat him on the heard, rub his ears, and say “It’s good to see you, Ubu.” And when your employees exhibit the cultural behaviors you want—or whatever smaller behavior you are looking for that isn’t addressed with salaries and bonuses—give them a coffee card, take a group of them to lunch, let them use the preferred parking spot. The proverbial pat on the head.
As I said, it’s all well and good to tell Ubu he is a good dog. But Ubu, who desperately wants to please you, as do most of your employees (if you are running your company properly), need to first know what to do and how to do it. And needs rewarded accordingly. All that’s on you.
Show A Little Faith.