Let's continue to close out 2008 with specific performance improvement focus, knowing that performance improvement is our reason for employee engagement.

The first post this week stressed using a Performance Improvement Notebook to help your plan succeed. The previous post focused on thinking, and this one sort of does also.

Some of the best thinking comes from asking and answering questions. Here are three questions to help you devise your and your people's approach (aka strategy) to performance improvement:

• What general knowledge, skills, or both does my targeted improvement require?
• What is my current baseline of knowledge and skills in this area? What are some specific examples?
• What additional knowledge and skills are required, specifically? How much more, then, do I need/want to know? What are some specific examples?

These questions help you ensure that your strategy heads in the right direction.

Jot these questions and your answers in your Performance Improvement Notebook. Perhaps each question on a separate page because these questions don't have single answers. You will think of more and more ways to answer each question as you plan and implement your performance improvement approach.

Be certain before you begin that your projected performance improvement has real meaning and value for you. You may not want to lay out a strategy and halfway through it (or sooner!) hear yourself saying, “I already know this stuff. What am I doing this for?” [NOTE; If you're the manager, working through this with your people, have the same caution.]

As in the previous two posts, if you'd like a list of suggestions to work this activity with your employees, send me an e-mail. Just enter "Performance Improvement Approach" in the subject line.

Wishing you a Happy New Year! And hoping these three question-sets serve you well over and over and over.

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Tags: Employee Engagement, Management, performance improvement