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This article was published in the September 2004 issue of Source, the magazine for the Florida Society of Association Executives Association
Success? What association executive doesn’t want to maximize staff performance? All do! Because they know when staff members excel, their association excels. However, staff can sometimes lose sight of the role they play in helping their association succeed. When this happens, performance declines. To keep staff members focused and prevent lackluster performance, you must reinforce the practices and behaviors required for your association’s success. One way to do that is to make sure staff members clearly understand your association’s highest priorities. And while you may think everyone should know what’s important, a March 2003 FranklinCovey XQ survey suggests they may not. The researchers polled 11,045 U.S. adult workers. Findings revealed that 44% of workers didn’t know their organization’s highest priorities. Apparently the message is not getting through to many who need it. There must also be a clear link between staff contributions and association achievements. When this link exists, staff members devote the most time to activities that have the greatest impact on association priorities. The same FranklinCovey XQ survey found that only 19% of workers had clearly defined work goals with a strong link to their organization’s top priorities. These percentages suggest there is room for improvement. Association executives must also recognize staff achievements that produce positive results. This means learning what motivates staff members beyond the receipt of a paycheck. It also requires consistently letting staff know that their efforts are appreciated. Rosalie Small, Executive Director of the South Florida Dental Association says she is constantly thinking of ways to let staff members know how much she values their contributions. Fortunately, recognition can be either monetary or non-monetary. It just has to be meaningful and sincere. When people feel appreciated, they go the extra mile for you and their association. Consider these strategies as you explore ways to maximize your staff’s performance.
Involve Staff Members: Involving staff members in the goal setting process positively impacts performance. That’s because staff will work harder to achieve goals they participated in developing. They have a personal stake in the outcome, so they want to succeed. This positive perspective translates into valuable contributions. Start by getting staff input when you begin developing goals. Let them see the big picture. Janegale Boyd, President/CEO of the Florida Association of Homes for the Aging believes that if staff members know where you’re going and how all the pieces fit into the big picture, they will work hard to help you achieve goals. She involved her staff by taking them on a retreat after the board developed their association’s strategic plan. This type of upfront involvement allows staff members to take ownership right from the start. And ownership means staff is personally committed to doing what’s necessary to accomplish “their” goals. Keeping staff in the feedback loop about goal progress is also important. This requires giving updates and soliciting input. Staff can then make timely improvements. Small conducts weekly meetings where everyone discusses their goal-related activities. Carol A. Austin, CAE and Executive Vice President of the Greater Tampa Association of Realtors, Inc. explains one of her involvement approaches. In the middle of the year, all committee chairmen, vice-chairmen, and staff liaisons meet with the leadership team and long-range planning committee to update everyone on goal progress. Meetings like Small’s and Austin’s keep staff members engaged and focused. They see the connection between daily activities and goal achievement. The result is targeted contributions and better performance. Use these strategies to involve your staff: ·
Seek staff input when developing association goals.
Create Clear Connections: A recent study by two business professors and a former McKinsey consultant highlight the importance of linking performance to goals. As reported in the July 2003 issue of the Harvard Business Review, they found that 90% of the highest performing companies linked pay to performance, while only 15% of the lowest performing companies did. The message is clear. You get superior results when you create the kind of “performance links” that reinforce relevant contributions. Begin making connections by thinking about the vision and mission of your association. Examine strategic goals; then identify practices most critical to bottom-line results. These are the major priorities that should dictate daily activities. The ultimate goal is what Jack Guy, Director of Sales and Marketing for the Sheraton Sand Key Resort in Clearwater Florida, has achieved with his staff. Jack says their highest priority is to provide the kind of service that will make the hotel successful. Everyone is devoted to doing the right thing for the hotel and its customers. To quote Jack, “staff members know what’s required to achieve goals and do so automatically.” That’s what happens when staff understands the purpose and significance of their actions. They intuitively know what’s most important and do it outstandingly. Continue making connections by linking goals and priorities to staff performance. This keeps the focus on critical activities and reinforces task significance. Boyd does this by making sure goals in staff performance plans are directly linked to goals in their association’s strategic plan. Austin has staff do a self-evaluation. She explains that prior to each staff member’s performance evaluation discussion, that individual completes a self-evaluation form. One of the questions asks the staff member to describe how she/he has impacted both the staff and the organization’s goals. With connections like these, staff members have an easier time discerning what to do and what not to do. Use these questions to create clear connections: 1.
What activities are essential for achievement of critical goals?
Reward Staff Performance. Even the most highly committed staff members want to be acknowledged for their efforts. Letting staff know you appreciate them and what they do provides the motivation for continuous outstanding performance. Of course everyone is not motivated by the same thing. Some might be driven by monetary rewards, while others may desire greater visibility. To make recognition meaningful, you must get to know staff members personally as well as professionally. Gain insight into what motivates your staff by learning their needs, wants, desires, and interests. This is in addition to knowing job-related strengths and weaknesses. Boyd believes getting to know staff members involves establishing a relationship with them. When you do, you learn what’s important and what’s not. The book, Love ’Em or Lose ’Em: Getting Good People To Stay, by Beverly Kaye and Sharon Jordan-Evans provides useful strategies for uncovering such information. Once you know what staff members value, explore recognition options. Non-monetary motivators such as extra time off, public recognition, and learning opportunities are just a few possibilities. Small allowed her staff to take alternate Fridays off during the slow summer hours. Her reasoning, “If you ask people to do something, you have to be willing to give something back in return.” This is the kind of thinking that keeps the best staff members performing at their highest levels and inspires others to strive for improvement. Recognition can also involve a sincere “thank you.” Consider what Austin does. For the past several years, her board of directors has cooked and served a staff appreciation luncheon. They designate the day of the luncheon Staff Appreciation Day and deliver a written proclamation to the staff thanking them for helping the association achieve its goals. For other creative or low-cost recognition ideas, check out 1001 Ways To Reward Employees by best selling author Bob Nelson, or visit www.BobNelson.com. Use these approaches to show your appreciation: Feed them: bake a cake or buy a huge submarine. Award them: prepare “certificates of appreciation” or give inscribed medallions. Work for them: switch jobs for one-half day or handle least desirable task.
Putting It All Together Continuous success and outstanding performance happens because staff members consistently do what’s necessary to achieve association goals. But staff can only do this if they feel part of the goal setting process; see clear relationships between activities and goals; and feel valued for doing valuable work. Boyd said it best. “The bottom line is that you hire competent people, give them the parameters, empower them, and they will do an outstanding job for you.” ~~<<>>~~ PERMISSION TO REPRINT: Articles, Tips, and Tools can be reprinted in company newsletters or magazines. If placed electronically, a Live Link to Dr. Brown's website must be included. Please use the following credit for every item: Dr. Barbara Brown shows organizations how to use High-Performance Leadership to create the kind of links among people, goals & performance that produce positive results. For more tips, visit: www.DrBarbaraBrown.com or email: Barbara@DrBarbaraBrown.com.
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