I need a discussion for week 6 and a response to 2 Classmates for my Recruit, Develop, Assess, Reward and Retain Class
Letting People Go
You have identified an individual in your department who falls into the bottom 10%. Using Jack’s advice on no surprises and no humiliation, how would you approach the conversation with the individual?
Specifically outline how you would prepare for the meeting.
Where and when would you have the conversation?
What documentation or other resources will you want to have with you at the meeting?
Post your initial response by Wednesday, midnight of your time zone, and reply with suggestions for improvement to at least 2 of your classmates’ initial posts by Sunday, midnight of your time zone.
1st class to respond to
Tiara Collins
RE: Week 6 Discussion
COLLAPSE
Hello Professor and Class,
You have identified an individual in your department who falls into the bottom 10%. Using Jack’s advice on no surprises and no humiliation, how would you approach the conversation with the individual?
My goal of the meeting and approach would be to find out why are they falling in the 10% (1). I want to understand and have empathy with the subordinate. I would want to make sure it is in private because the chance that others could over hear the conversation is not a good thing. I would make sure I could have it over maybe the morning coffee with them in the conference room to make them feel more comfortable (2). I would ensure I am actively listening.
Specifically outline how you would prepare for the meeting.
I would make sure I set the time aside to show the person that they are important. I also would make sure I am using facts to show them that this wasn’t the same level they were performing at. I would show them the level I wanted to encourage to get them to that level.
Where and when would you have the conversation?
In a conference room or in their office. I would make sure I sit next to them so it shows we are on the same side of this improvement. I would want them to feel comfortable to understand I am trying to work with them and we are on the same team. I would have the meeting mid-morning.
What documentation or other resources will you want to have with you at the meeting?
I would have any training items that I could suggest for them to get out of the 10 percent. I also would have the documents that show the difference in the levels. I also would have a calendar to try to put a timeline together if we were brainstorming to make the subordinate better. I also would have a not book and pen to take notes. I also will have the questions I want answered written down. \
Tiara Collins
- https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescoachescouncil/2017/07/17/14-ways-to-approach-conflict-and-difficult-conversations-at-work/?sh=1d44d7ee3cfd
- https://www.bustle.com/articles/181666-11-tips-for-making-people-feel-comfortable-around-you
2nd response to classmate
Laryssa Wilson RE: Week 6 DiscussionCOLLAPSE
Good Afternoon Professor and Class,
I have first hand experience with this. The way I approached, my non-performing staff was with continued communication. I set precedence when I took over for the last manager and did my due diligence. I reviewed the previous year’s performance appraisals, and observations. I had a good idea of who the weakest links were.
When I started, I gave everyone a clean slate with the new objectives that they were to meet. I advised that we would touch base at the end of each week. Out of the gate they knew to expect me to be very communicative. It was up to me to be consistent with the communication because my manager held me accountable for that.
The meetings were weekly in my office. It was the norm so no one felt they were being singled out or was in trouble. The conversations were not a surprise when and if I had to deliver A hard message. If they were not meeting the objectives, at the regular “base touch” I brought it up. I would let them know I am noticing a negative pattern and would show them the reasons why, eg.. drawer out of balance, sales goals/efforts not attempted or at meets standards. I’d always ask if they are struggling personally with any thing or needed my help with anything. If necessary we, the employee and I would set up an action plan for improvement. Documenting areas of improvement and expectations and me documenting the interaction as well. The meetings continued weekly, as they normally would. I had two employees that actually resigned, because they knew they were not improving or lost the desire to. They knew I would be “managing them out”. With these two recognizing that, instead of me terminating them, it made the transition easier because there was a notice to resign, not a no call/no show but an understanding even had a goodbye potluck.
Experts of Practice Videos week 5
Winning, Jack Welch
Charlie Tharp-Managing People Out
Jack Welch -Performance Appraisals are Continuous
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JWI 521 – Week 6 Lecture Notes (1192) Page 1 of 5
JWI 521
Recruit, Develop, Assess, Reward, Retain
Week Six Lecture Notes
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JWI 521 – Week 6 Lecture Notes (1192) Page 2 of 5
DIFFERENTIATION
What it Means
Effective leaders use differentiation to identify the most important strategies to pursue, the most important
positions in terms of executing their strategy, and the most talented employees who can make those
strategies a reality. The top twenty percent of your workforce should be identified, and given varied and
challenging professional development opportunities, as well as financial rewards. Good leaders and
managers make sure that all employees know how their performance is assessed, both so that they have
the chance to improve their performance, and so that there are no surprises when decisions are made about
promotions and personnel changes.
Why it Matters
• Effective leaders differentiate among top talent, solid performers, and underperformers
• The most promising employees need demanding roles that will develop their leadership skills
• Candid and rigorous performance evaluation allows all employees to know where they stand
“People need to get differentiated rewards
and recognition to be motivated.”
Jack Welch
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JWI 521 – Week 6 Lecture Notes (1192) Page 3 of 5
USING DIFFERENTIATION AS A MANAGEMENT TOOL
Differentiation begins with the realization that not all jobs are equal, nor are people equal in their ability to
excel in strategically important jobs. Successful leaders differentiate among positions, identifying those jobs
that are strategically important to their company. They also differentiate among their employees, based on
their natural talents, acquired skills, experiences, and motivation. Strong managers strive to place the best
people in the most important strategic positions.
In Winning, Jack Welch describes the advantages of differentiating the workforce into three groups based on
their performance: the top 20%, the middle 70%, and the bottom 10%. Although he approaches the topic of
differentiation with his own unique perspective, his “20 – 70 – 10” system is roughly equivalent to the
traditional categorization of employees into A players, B players, and C players. How can this differentiation
process be used to support better management of employees across the organization?
Managing Your A Players
Your A players and A-minus players are your top talent and emerging talent. These people are crucial
to your current and future success, so you should devote a lot of time, energy, and money to managing
them. They should be singled out for special treatment, including generous amounts of both financial and
non-financial rewards.
General Electric (GE) under Jack Welch would place high-potential managers into significant leadership
positions, even though the company knew these new managers would not perform as well as more
experienced leaders. The units they were selected to lead were not major contributors to GE’s revenues. It
was an exercise in leadership development so that, by the time these new managers were given leadership
of one of GE’s key businesses, their strengths and weaknesses were well-known, and they had acquired the
requisite competencies to be successful in more important roles.
Managing Your B Players
Your B players are those solid performers who are strong contributors, but are unlikely to develop much
further. This group of employees typically represents the large majority of a workforce, and it is tremendously
important to an organization. You should devote significant time and resources to your B players; they need
training, positive feedback, and thoughtful goal-setting. Some of them may end up surprising you as they
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JWI 521 – Week 6 Lecture Notes (1192) Page 4 of 5
develop into A-minus or A performers. But everyone in this large group should be made to feel as if they truly
belong. You do not want to risk losing your B players; you want to keep them engaged and, if possible, make
modest improvements to their skills and job performance.
Managing Your C Players
What about your C players, your chronic underperformers? In a well-managed organization, these are the
employees who have to go. They may be good workers and even talented people in their own way, but the
fact is that their talents do not support your strategic objectives. Letting go of underperformers is more easily
said than done. But if your organization has a candid evaluation process, C players generally know who they
are. When an employee has been a mediocre performer for a sustained period of time, their manager should
start a humane but unambiguous conversation about moving on. People changes are tough to implement,
but they are easier for employees to accept if they perceive that the decision is based on a systematic,
impartial review process, rather than on purely subjective or political considerations.
CANDOR AND PEOPLE CHANGES
Even if there is no immediate need to remove people on your team, you should always be looking for
opportunities to do so, whether the move is a promotion to a new role or a departure from the company. As
Jack Welch puts it, “Leaders relentlessly upgrade their teams.” In light of the powerful forces that work
against successful people changes, you need to make a special effort to act on what you know to be the
truth, even when the truth is unpopular. Strong leaders and good managers set clearly defined expectations,
assess honestly against those expectations, and consistently apply high standards to all their direct reports.
No one should have the title of manager if their employees do not know where they stand in the organization
today, or what their prospects are for continued employment or promotion in the future. A culture of candid
performance evaluation increases the chances for authentic conversations throughout the business. After a
while, authenticity becomes a way of life in the company.
Authenticity is not only good business. It is also ethical business. When you are candid and honest with your
employees, you are treating them with dignity. Not every conversation will be easy, and not every message
will be positive. But it is a basic human right to be told the truth, and it is the responsibility of every leader
and manager to uphold that right.
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copied, further distributed, or otherwise disclosed, in whole or in part, without the expressed written permission of Strayer University.
JWI 521 – Week 6 Lecture Notes (1192) Page 5 of 5
GETTING THE MOST OUT OF THIS WEEK’S CLASS
As you read the materials and participate in class activities, stay focused on the key learning outcomes for
the week:
• Explain the importance of using differentiation in the workplace
What are the benefits of differentiation for effective workforce management? Does the leadership in
your organization provide varied and challenging professional development opportunities to
prospective leaders like yourself? Do managers strive to place the most talented people in important
strategic positions? If not, what can be done to address these issues? How can HR provide
resources to support better workforce management?
• Understand how performance assessment supports talent management
How do managers in your organization talk to their direct reports about performance evaluations?
Are they candid about the employees’ performance? Do they set clear and rigorous expectations
and evaluate against those expectations? Do employees know where they stand and what their
future prospects with the company really are? Are leaders and managers willing to make the tough
decisions that are needed when it is time to let go of underperformers?
• Explore ways to manage difficult conversations with employees
It is not easy to deliver a warning based on poor performance, or the bad news of a dismissal to an
employee. But as a manager or leader, you must develop the ability to cope with these difficult
conversations. It is important to understand that such conversations should not come out of the blue.
A culture that fosters authentic and candid conversations between managers and their direct reports
eases the challenge of difficult conversations, since the employee already knows from previous
discussions that their performance has been under scrutiny by management.