Nine to Thrive - Nine Areas of Focus for Optimal Employee Performance

Seven employees gathered around conference room table in an energeized discussion.

Great Opportunity.... Great Responsibility

The street is alive with activity as Joseph steps onto the sidewalk from his company’s front door. From the whir of the cars driving by to the conversation between the young couple at the Mexican food truck to the siren in the distance, the sound envelops him while he walks to the parking lot. After this afternoon’s conference call, he’s feeling more confident than ever about the direction his new business venture is taking.

He opens the car door and the heat rolls out to him like he’s standing in front of a furnace. “Hot as a stolen tamale”, his father used to say. He rolls his eyes thinking about the corny comments and terrible “dad jokes” he hears repeatedly. Joseph is finally reaching his stride in his career and that’s changed the dynamic of their relationship for the better. Where he once saw doubt in his father’s eyes as Joseph talked about starting his business, he now sees confidence. “It’s all happening so fast.” he tells himself.

The business has grown substantially over the past year, much faster than expected. With a small team supporting several hundred clients, Joseph realizes that he needs more structure and a stronger staff to deliver the customer experience that will secure his business long-term. Unfortunately, he hardly knows where to begin. His cell phone rings and Joseph answers to hear his Sales Manager shout, “They gave us the whole order!”. A rush of adrenaline surges through Joseph’s body as he realizes the monumental challenge that is now in front of his team and the level of performance that will be required.

The Stand-Outs

Over the past 20+ years, I’ve had the opportunity to work with some great organizations, both in size and quality. Some posted great financial results, others drove an incredible customer experience and still others had operations teams that could execute work with precision. But these results were achieved largely because of the quality of leadership and rigor placed around their people practices. Two others without these respective practices continually struggled to achieve their operational and financial targets.

With these experiences as a reference, I’ve outlined a series of questions across nine categories...the “Nine to Thrive” if you will. While there are many sources of information on solid HR practices, these relate to the core practices that raise employee (and customer) outcomes to the next level.

Clarity

Is the leadership team able to present the vision in such clear terms that it resonates with employees and provides a “true north” for their choices?
Do you have an employment brand that stands out among your peer companies?
Are employees on-boarded thoroughly and given a solid introduction to the organization, process and system training, along with a 30, 60 and 90-day plan?
Are they clear on the organization’s mission and the results that will be required to advance toward it?
Do they understand the core values and how they are to be lived out?
Do you focus on helping your employees understand the “Why” behind their work and the value that it provides?
Do they clearly understand their core responsibilities and expected results?
Is there an intentional plan that’s moving the organization to a higher level of performance and do they understand their role in it?

Culture

Does your leadership team model the behavior that they expect from employees?
Do they understand what it takes for your business to “win” in the marketplace and are you working to create an environment where they can celebrate incremental progress toward that goal?
Do you intentionally create an environment where employees feel psychologically safe (able to admit mistakes, offer new ideas, express contrary opinions)
Do your words and actions drive positive accountability and a performance culture?
Does your physical space (layout, decor, imaging, etc.) support the culture you are working to create?

Constructs

Are your employment practices legally compliant?
Do you have an employee handbook AND policies & procedures in place? (Hint: These are the primary tools through which you build ever-improving processes)
Are they clear on the roles and responsibilities outlined in their job descriptions?
Do the systems that you have in place help employees perform their work as effectively and efficiently as possible? (Hint: If system-based processes are aggravating or inefficient, your "employee experience" may become and issue.)

Competency

Are your recruiting and selection practices yielding high-quality employees?
Do they possess the right knowledge, skills and attitude to perform well?
Do you have effective training processes in place?
Are employees encouraged and challenged to continue developing their competencies?
Are you actively working to grow your leadership bench?
Is your management team held accountable for developing the people beneath them?

Collaboration

Are you and the other members of your leadership team approachable?
Do you encourage your employees to collaborate with one another?
Do you focus on building trust, both vertically and horizontally in the organization?
Do you actively reinforce team-based achievements?

Client Focus

Have you communicated the definition of a “great client experience”?
Do your employees understand what it takes to deliver that experience and are they enabled to deliver it?
Do they work to improve the customer journey, evaluating the steps that a customer must take to complete a transaction or project and identifying improvement opportunities?

Creativity

Are you encouraging your employees to evaluate the quality of your processes and work to improve them?
Are they given the opportunity to expand their knowledge by working to solve challenging issues?
Are you creating an environment in which they are comfortable bringing new or better ideas to your attention?

Coaching

Are your leadership practices generating long term positive results?
Do your employees perceive that you are working to help them perform at peak levels?
Do you understand what is important to them personally and do you make a conscious effort to help them achieve it?
Do you schedule meetings with your employees on a regular basis (at least quarterly) to provide meaningful feedback on their performance and help them understand how to improve their results?

Compensation & Benefits

Are your compensation and benefits practices effective in helping you to attract, engage, motivate, and retain high-quality talent?
Is your benefit plan design helping employees focus on their health, wellness and long-term financial security?
Are your compensation plans structured properly to recognize performance and responsibility level while controlling cost?
Are you “re-marketing” the value of everything you’re offering or providing to your employees?

Implementing the right set of HR-related practices improves the on-going focus and performance of your business, helps to attract and retain high performing employees and reduces your risk. I hope this list serves as a starting point for some great conversation with your team.

If you answered “No” to any of these questions, I can help. Let’s prepare to win. Contact HR Strategies Now.

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July 12, 2021