Skillful Leader …ClassifiedIntroduction to the Skillful Leader

Tony SignoretDirector, Certificated Human Resources

Palm Springs Unified School DistrictFriday April 5th, 2013

Skillful Leader …Classified

Confronting Mediocre Performance

“If the employee is performing poorly, I can better deal with that than I can deal with an employee who

is just doing their job.”

(modified - Confronting Mediocre Teaching - pg.7)

Skillful FocusIntroduce Skillful ConceptsIdentify Mediocre EmployeesComplete Skillful ReflectionComplete Skillful RoadmapWorkshop Modules - Collaborative Skillful Analysis and

Support (Professional Learning Community)

Skillful TermsLeniency Effect & Halo ErrorTentative and/or Mixed MessagesEvaluator ImpressionsEvidenced Based Narratives

“More information, means more credibility” (p. 72)

Skillful Leader ConceptsMediocre EmployeeDebilitating BeliefsUnpromising PracticesConfront Institutional Mediocrity

Identify the Mediocre Employee

Excellent employees & Incompetent employees share one quality - They are easy to identify

Rate Employees - Handout 1 (Part One)

Identify the Mediocre Employee

They have satisfactory attendance and are pleasant to othersBut they are very unorganized and miss deadlines

They assist with school or department activities outside of their job duties (Sports, Parent Activities, Staff Events, etc.)

But they spend too much time socializing during work hoursThey possess necessary job knowledge to complete tasksBut they are not accountable, and will blame others when they

cannot meet a deadline

Common Characteristics

Identify the Mediocre Employee

They appear to care for studentsBut they show favoritism to certain studentsThey possess excellent technical skillsBut they can be rude to othersThey demonstrate initiative while completing tasksBut they do not practice the proper rules of safety

Common Characteristics

Identify the Mediocre EmployeeMediocre Performance (defined): Of moderate or low quality,

value, ability or performance. The inability to provide reliable, high quality work on a consistent basis.

Skillful ProfilesGet in groups of 4 – 5 Read the Skillful ProfilesDiscuss the characteristics of the Mediocre Employee

Rate Employees - Handout 1 (Part Two)

Identify the Mediocre Employee

Individual Employee

Performance

Problems

Do not point fingers:

All of us must own the problem of

Mediocre Employees

Skillful Leader …Classified

A skillful leader is good at pointing fingers. When things aren’t going well,

he/she will point their finger at himself/herself first. When things are going well,

he/she will first point their finger to others.

Debilitating Beliefs

“What can you expect? She’s been like that for 20 years.”

“He’s just a couple of years away from retirement, we’ll just ride it out.”

“They all like her, there’s no way the union and staff will back me if I make her change now.”

Debilitating Belief #1 - Diminished Expectations

Debilitating Beliefs

“Remember we’re just a support department and our jobs don’t pay much. We can’t attract high quality employees...”

“If I could just clone ‘Mrs. Jones’! She’s one of a kind, you can’t expect everyone to be at her level.”

Debilitating Belief #2 - Diminished Aspirations for Achievement and Opportunity

Debilitating Beliefs

Deciding there is only one way to solve a problem - and that oneway is too difficult to do

“I wish I could fire them all, but I can’t” Firing is an inappropriate and unrealistic first response to

dealing with mediocre performance:

Debilitating Belief #3 - Inappropriate Problem Definition and Goal Setting

Instead think: “What are the different ways in which we can make it clear that every employee must perform.”

Debilitating Beliefs

Supervisor’s fear of fracturing relationships and endangering collegiality - leads to ‘backing off’ or ‘looking the other way’

Fear of staff being ‘devastated’ or ‘destroyed’ if presented with information indicating areas of need for improvement

Afraid of the potential loss of long-time social and professional friendships because recipients will be angry

Fear that staff members will respond with anger, thus disrupting the positive climate of the department or school

Debilitating Belief #4 - Negative Assumptions About Costs and Benefits

Debilitating Beliefs Help Promote MediocrityThink of a Debilitating Belief that has affected you. Share your experience.

Diminished Expectations Diminished Aspirations for Achievement and OpportunityInappropriate Problem Definition and Goal SettingNegative assumptions about Costs and Benefits

Unpromising PracticesUnpromising Practice 1: Transferring Problems

Tailoring Job Duties - hand picking duties based upon the employee’s weaknesses or another employee’s strengths

Transferring Staff - moving the ‘weak links’ to different desk, area or department

Unpromising Practices

Unpromising Practice 1: Results? Short-term solutions carry Long-term consequences

Tailoring job duties places the burden on the remaining staffTransferring staff temporarily minimizes damage, yet mediocre

performance continues

Unpromising PracticesUnpromising Practice 2: Basing Evaluations on Limited Data

Evaluating based on 1 or 2 events or observations all yearUsing general/interchangeable feedback terms from one

evaluation to the other:

“Mrs. Smith creates a comfortable working environment.”

“Mr. Jones enhances the library experience.”

“Mrs. Gomez is a real veteran security officer.”

Unpromising PracticesUnpromising Practice 2: Results? - Promotes Mediocrity due to vague, tentative and ‘insecure’ writingAvoid Evaluator Impressions - ‘Nutshell Summaries’ based on

limited to nonexistent data or facts; hearsay or assumptionsUtilize Evidence-Based Narratives - Provide clear narratives of

the observation supported by evidence; follow with examples or models of the kind of practices you’d like to see.

More information means more competence & credibility

Unpromising PracticesUnpromising Practice 3: Assigning Inappropriate Weight to Unrelated DutiesSocially Active: Friendly; Collaborative; Brings doughnuts;

Distributes Birthday Cards; Coaching; etc.Accessible: Always available to provide help with tasks that are

unrelated to the position.

Unpromising PracticesUnpromising Practice 4: Allowing written evaluations that contain Mixed Messages and/or Inflated Performance Ratings

“The Officer’s warm rapport and quickness to respond makes for a safe environment. While students love the attention, it would seem that they are reluctant to assist when they are called upon as witnesses to skirmishes. You might want to try to a different approach. This will add to the delightful way in which you motivate youngsters.”

Unpromising PracticesUnpromising Practice 4: Results?

Mediocrity is protected by poor, tentative writing and mixed messages!

Inflated performance ratings communicate that everyone is “excellent”

Be directive and establish clear benchmarks for improvement

Confronting Mediocrity

1. Conviction Institutional belief that EVERY employee must be held

accountable for their performance Adopt the norm of excellence Taking steps to improve employee performance will make

a difference

Eliminate Debilitating Beliefs & Unpromising Practices with:The Three C’s

Confronting Mediocrity

2. Competence Determination to develop supervisory competence (invest the

time in professional learning communities) Ask hard questions Avoid fluff - Use Evidence Based Narratives

Confronting Mediocrity

3. Control Create adequate structures, processes and resources to

support evaluators who are charged with confronting mediocre performance

The Three C’s: Conviction, Competence & Control

Skillful Reflection & Road MapSkillful Reflection - Handout 2

Select one Mediocre employee from your list of employees (handout 1)

Complete handout 2

The Skillful Road Map - Handout 3 Develop your Skillful Road Map to Confront Mediocrity

Review: Skillful TermsEvidenced Based Narratives

Structured feedback based on clearly stated narratives supported by evidence; followed with examples/models for improvement

Leniency Effect & Halo ErrorSomething unrelated to the essential job function that encourages the evaluator to boost the overall appraisal

Review: Skillful TermsTentative and/or Mixed Messages

Poorly written feedback that lacks clear directives, examples and benchmarks for improvement; ‘warm fuzzies’

Evaluator Impressions‘Nutshell Summaries’ based on limited or nonexistent data/facts

More information Means More Credibility

Collecting & using evidence drawn from a variety of resources or incidents increases an evaluator’s competence & credibility

Be A Skillful LeaderIt is an immutable law that words are words,

explanations are explanations,

and promises are promises.

But only performance is reality.