Hire and Keep the Best People

15 Improve Performance Professionally

Job descriptions and job requirements change so rapidly that you must continually redefine them for each employee. Here are five simple steps that you can use on a regular basis to improve the performance of every person who reports to you.

First, sit down with each employee and explain clearly what he or she is expected to do. Take your time. Describe the results that you want from the job. Make the results clear and objective. If the job is important enough, write out what you discuss so that the employee can read it and take it away with him or her.

Second, set measurable standards of performance for the job you want done. Quantify everything. Put financial measures on every single output responsibility, ...