To many managers in the restaurant business, the words “performance management” conjures up images of annual performance reviews or write-ups about poor performance. In truth, though, it is much more far-reaching than that. Performance management is less about what employees are doing right now, and more about what they have the potential to do for your restaurant in the long-term.
Don’t Just Manage – Inspire
Performance management doesn’t just happen once a year or under special circumstances. Much like restaurant training, it is an ongoing process that should be motivating your employees every day. Follow these tips to turn simply managing employee performance into inspiring employee improvement.
Lead by example every day. To inspire top performers, you need to be a top performer yourself. Actions speak louder than words. Your employees will pick up on your actions, even when you don’t think they’re watching.
Clearly state your expectations. If employees don’t understand what is expected of them, they’ll almost always fall short. Write down both short- and long-term goals and make sure your team meetings and training sessions correlate with those goals.
Foster a productive team environment. When things are going well – and especially when they aren’t – focus on teamwork. Help employees understand that when the team succeeds, individuals succeed as well.
Create career paths for every employee. Part of effective performance management is to give employees a path to reach their own career goals. Use cross-training, mentoring, and incentives to point them in the right direction and keep them headed toward their goals.
The result of effective and ongoing performance management is a workforce that is driven to improve individually and as a team.
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