- When it comes to managing the performance of others, every supervisor or manager has only two resources – the time spent with direct reports and their influence potential with those direct reports.
- Like any resource that is invested – a desirable return is needed.
- To maximize the highest return on these two limited resources, the successful supervisor invests these resources with the “right” people.
- The “right” people are the 80 percent of employees who are what we refer to as “reactive,” that is, they react to the time, energy and leadership provided by the manager. It is this “reactive” group that can benefit from the supervisor’s time and influence and provide them with the highest return for the investment of their time and influence.
- Our experience has shown that most often, supervisors spend the majority of their time with the lowest performers, representing only about 5 to 10 percent of direct reports. Research has shown that this investment pays little in the way of positive dividends, as these individuals don’t respond well to any manager or supervisor, despite the quality of performance management practices. That does not mean that low performance should be ignored – these people require structure and accountability – but not a lot of wasted time.
- Then there are the 5 to 10 percent of direct reports who are superior performers, and they will be high performers under any conditions, no matter the quality of performance management practices. While they are fun and enjoyable to work with, spending significant time with superior performers does not provide a significant return. For these employees, providing autonomy, delegation and responsibility – which communicates trust and respect in the process – is appreciated.
- Time spent with these top and bottom performers is time not spent where the highest return is: those “middle 80%” employees who will truly react to and benefit from a supervisor or manager’s time and influence.