Interim talk or 4-Point-Review
How can we close the gap between the annual Performance Review and the more reactive daily leadership business?
How can we specify the complex and often intangible leadership job so that it can be specified and broken down easier?
How can I find out and report as a supervisor whether I am doing my leadership job right and am acting responsible enough?
And what can I exactly do to improve my leadership competence step by step?
Leadership responsibility
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What am I responsible for as a leader?
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My supervisor position includes being responsible for a defined performance, which means that I can finally be held accountable for a defined output! “Who will measure this output andby what means?” is therefore one of the first questions I have to answer as a supervisor.
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This performance is produced by my co-workers. |
Ideally this performance is produced by my co-workers and not by myself. As a supervisor I am responsible for the adequate framework for them to make optimal use of their potentials and talents. Therefore I can only improve the performance of my department by improving the performance of my co-workers.
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On which factors does the performance of my co-workers depend on?
4 points: |
Basically the performance depends on three performance factors and on the quality of the interpersonal relations as the co-operational basis:
1. Does the co-worker know exactly what he has to do and to deliver? Performance specification: “Dues“ (has to do) 2. Does the co-worker have all the necessary skills and competencies to do the job? Ability to perform: „Abilities“ (can do) 3. How high is the satisfaction and motivation of the co-workers? Willingness to perform: „Willing“ (wants to do) 4. How good is my interpersonal relationship with my co-worker? „Relationship“ (likes to work for me)
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Leadership activities can be divided in two types of work:
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Initiators:
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Examples
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Re-active leadership activities that are triggered by external factors:
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·1 A new task has to be delegated
·2 New performance indicators enforce changes
·3 The board restructures the company
·4 Co-workers ask me questions
·5 Changed priorities initiate corrective actions
·6 Etc.
We share the paradigm that there is no such thing as perfect leadership, nor perfect communication. Environmental changes create new fields of activity. As you can not lead without making mistakes, you need an instrument to capture and correct these faults and turn them into new rules and procedures. Reviews in the field of pro-active leadership can be used as a “retention pool” for leadership mistakes or faults:
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Pro-active leadership activities triggered by the supervisor himself:
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· 1 Is the co-worker angry about something?
· 2 Skills development
· 3 Degree of motivation of the co-workers
· 4 Information about strategies, higher goals, direction of development · 5 Background information
· 6 Quality of the interpersonal relationship with the co-worker
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This second type of activities have one thing in common:they are important, but not urgent! You can therefore apply the rules of time management here: anything important that is not being finished in non-urgent phases will become urgent sooner or later … but in a different form:
- All the little postponed leadership activities add up to large and sometimes unsolvable problems.
- short lapses in attention or little conflicts add up to disturbances in the interpersonal relationships that might escalate due to an additional lack of communication.
- the lack of skills development sooner or later leads to co-workers taxed too little or too much, or even placed incorrectly.
In times of fast changes and growing complexity, two complementary movements combine to worsen the situation further:
- The changes affect many basic conditions (the framework)of the work: responsibilities, authorisations, goals, relationships, etc.
- The pressure on the supervisors to react rises at the same time and speed: They have to get acquainted with new tasks first before they can delegate them to co-workers. The pressure to adapt requires a lot of time and energy to handle and clarify the changes and the new interfaces, so that the supervisor can take less care of his internal leadership job.
There is therefore a need for a review that builds the bridge between the annual Performance Review and daily business: the interim talk or 4-point-review.
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Point
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Preparation questions for the supervisor
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Preparation questions for the co-worker
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Dues
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To what degree have the goals agreed on in the Performance Review already been achieved? What is left or missing?
Are there any changes in priorities, basic values or performance indicators?
Which additional things do I expect from the co-worker that he has not yet complied with?
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To what degree have the goals agreed on in the Performance Review already been achieved?
Do I know exactly what my supervisor expects from me? What are my main tasks currently? Are the priorities still correct from y point of view?
Are there any open questions?
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Quality of interpersonal relationship
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Have I been angry or annoyed due to certain actions or behaviour of the co-worker?
(Any trading stamps?)
Are there any wishes or expectations from the co-worker? What could I do better?
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Have I been angry or annoyed due to certain actions or behaviour of the supervisor?
(Any trading stamps?)
What kind of behaviour do I want or expect from my supervisor?
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Willingness
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How satisfied with his job do I think my co-worker is at the moment? Do I know what exactly motivates or frustrates my co-worker? Did I permit unrealistic expectations to arise? Is there a need for an apology?
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How satisfied with my job am I at the moment? (10-Point Commitment?) Are there any motivational gaps?
Did I have any unexpressed expectations (concerning the company or the supervisor)? What exactly causes dissatisfaction?
Which of these factors are changeable and fulfillable and which are not?
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Abilities
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How far did we proceed in the training and learning process? What is it that the co-worker could do better?
Which expectations concerning the abilities of the co-worker are not complied with?
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How well does the learning and training process run? Which milestones show progress?
Is there any additional need for skills improvement?
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