Transcripts

"Commentary"-Laboring With Workers

SUSIE GHARIB: Commentator says it's easy to get good work out of your employees and he has some suggestions on just how to do that. Here's Richard Levin, syndicated columnist and author of "Shared Purposes."

RICHARD LEVIN, SYNDICATED COLUMNIST & AUTHOR, "SHARED PURPOSE": You've probably seen or even written a performance review that says something like: this employee should go far and the sooner he starts, the better. Even the strongest managers quake in their boots when they hear the phrase "performance review." But evaluating someone's performance doesn't have to be the drudgery people make it out to be. Quite simply, a performance review is a way to measure whether people are doing what they're supposed to do.

Of course, they have to know what they're supposed to do, and since most employees don't have x-ray vision, the manager's job is to clearly communicate the goal and identify the expectations for reaching that goal. This isn't rocket science. If you want your employees to perform, you have to tell them what you expect. The specifics of how they reach or hopefully exceed that expectation is often best left to them, because what's important is not necessarily how they reach the goal, it's about the results.

It used to be and in some companies, it's still the case, that if your manager saw you at your desk for long hours, you'd be regarded as a dedicated employee, even if you weren't doing anything. Today it doesn't always matter how many hours you work, but whether you get the job done. When it comes to excellent performance, it's about crystal clear communication, clear standards, clear expectations and clear measures of accountability. Fundamentally, it's all about the results. I'm Richard Levin.