Performance management advanced

This course will develop managers so that they feel confident in addressing both good and poor staff performance. Participants will develop strategies and techniques so that they never have to find extra time for performance management. They will also look at how developing staff can actually give them more time and increase business performance.
By the end of this course participants will be able to:

• Identify the skills, qualities and benefits of effective performance management
• Select and use appropriate styles of management and identify the various roles a manager must undertake
• Explain the processes and develop the skills involved in coaching and delegation
• Display appropriate skills and behaviours for the review and preview of individuals'' performance
• Identify types of people that cause them difficulty at work and create appropriate solutions
• Describe the effects of stress on themselves and their team and develop coping strategies

The facilitator introduces the course, handles domestic issues, and outlines the course aim, learning objectives and content. Participants discuss their personal aims for the course and their fears and concerns about managing performance. They then discuss what they mean by ''effective performance management''.

• Management and leadership - Participants are provided with a number of potential implications for leaders who have to operate in an increasingly turbulent environment where organisational needs and employee and customer expectations are continually changing. Participants are the asked to obtain a consensus understanding of the core skills required to manage these implications and make an initial assessment of where they are on a scale of low to high for each skill and refine their assessment as they progress through the course
• The styles and stages of learning, explains how our learning and teaching styles differ and what implications this may have for us as managers. Finally, we consider the cycles of learning and how we, as managers responsible for the development and learning of our staff, can both understand and use them
• Situational leadership, examines the four approaches for managing individuals - directing, coaching, supporting and delegating. It equips participants with the understanding necessary to judge the development levels of their staff by assessing their commitment and competence and so apply the appropriate approach
• Coaching and delegating for improved performance - In this session, participants learn how to: plan and structure one to one coaching discussions; use different styles for different individuals and situations; get people motivated to action; deal with difficult situations; take advantage of the day to day opportunities in the workplace and; delegate safely and effectively
• Practical application allows participants to apply the skills they have learnt to develop each other''s Performance Management skills. They use each other''s situations as an example to practise planning a performance management review
• Managing performance, looks at the generic skills required to manage performance in any organisation. Participants distinguish between the purpose and effects of informal reviews and formal assessments, including annual performance reviews. They develop checklists for each stage within their organisation''s process. The skills needed are explored and practised including listening and questioning, reading body language and giving feedback
• Managing performance in our organisation, explores the areas that are most important to the participants. These areas include the formalities of the business objective and target setting, competencies, personal development plans, awarding a rating and the appeals procedure
• Setting objectives looks at the differences between setting outcomes (what do we want?) and objectives (what do we have to do to get it?) and the implications of muddling the two. They practise setting effective outcomes and SMART objectives for themselves and their staff
• Handling difficult situations, introduces participants to a range of ideas and techniques which will develop their ability to influence others even in the most difficult of situations.
• Managing pressure - Participants share experiences of identified stress-inducing behaviour factors: personality, change, observable behaviour and invisible changes. After looking at how we create our states and behaviour, participants look at ways of managing stress and we concentrate on the specific areas identified by the unique group

Finally, participants review the course and produce an action plan in response to the learning points they have found most relevant to themselves and their organisations.