Corporate Compliance versus Compassionate Leadership
Deborah Watring-Ellis, Head of Product Innovation at MHI, addresses the question on every caring leader’s mind: “How can I manage my employees’ performance and still support their mental health?”
Before joining MHI, I spent much of my career doing leadership training with some of North America's largest corporations. That was before I gained the insights I discussed in my previous blog - Building a Caring and High-Performance Culture.
Leaders are accountable for managing employee performance to meet corporate objectives. It is a challenging role to be caught between pressure from senior leadership and the various needs of diverse employees.
I taught managers how to administer compulsory performance management programs as a core part of the leadership curriculum. As a result, I've seen the challenges faced by managers in a wide range of settings. Every organization I worked with had one thing in common: no one enjoyed doing performance management. Managers saw it as a necessary but dreaded part of their job. As a result, they did the bare minimum to comply with the requirements. Employees resented being forced into one-size-fits-all rating systems and pressured to achieve unrealistic targets. Across the board, there had been a greater emphasis on "fixing" the lowest performers than maximizing everyone's contribution. Realizing the missed opportunities makes me feel sad.
“Now, I spend my time raising awareness about the importance of considering an employee's mental health as a key component of their overall performance.”
I see where performance management systems provide tools and opportunities to help navigate the diverse needs of both employees and the organization. And I can also see where ineffective use of them causes more harm than good. Minimal compliance with performance management program requirements often causes stress and anxiety for both the leader and the employee. Instead of helping improve performance, compliance hinders it.
It doesn't have to be that way.
Human beings have some basic needs in common. For example, we require structure and feedback at work. We need to clearly understand what is expected of us and be aware of our progress. Oh, and we need to feel seen and heard on a regular basis. Our state of health – both physical and mental – is not a fixed quantity. Our ability to perform our job fluctuates as various stressors accumulate from work and home.
A well-implemented performance management system can be a powerful tool in creating an environment where everyone can thrive and contribute their best to the organization's success.
Here are some tips*:
Set SMART goals with each team member. Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-bound expectations provide clarity. The mental health of a person has a significant impact on what is achievable and realistic at any given time. Setting objectives that aren't going to be met is pointless.
Hold 30 x 30 Feedback sessions. Meeting with each team member for 30 minutes every 30 days allows you to check in and see what changes in expectations or accommodations are needed before problems become severe enough to result in total disability.
Use a 4-Step Feedback process to provide both positive and constructive feedback. Making factual observations, identifying the impact of specific behaviours, and requesting that positive behaviours are repeated, and ineffective behaviours changed all make your feedback actionable. The employee will then be able to commit to doing what you want.
Use the Mental Health Continuum to help identify indicators of distress and offer support as soon as you see them. The sooner you notice and offer support, the more likely small challenges will be contained, and big problems avoided.
We’re here to help.
Have you downloaded The Caring Culture Playbook? When you sign up to receive your free Playbook, you will also get access to additional resources (*such as downloads that expand on the tips mentioned above) related to the programs that support the Playbook's strategies and generate real, measurable and tangible results.
We've developed The Caring Culture Playbook based on our 20+ years of experience working with leaders. It's a guide to building a caring culture where employees feel safe talking about mental health and confident in supporting one another. The Caring Culture Playbook ensures your actions will result in long-term, sustainable change in your organization's culture and your people.
Get started on transforming your organization today.