BESTPRACTICES 2013
THEY’RE IMPORTANT, TOO: HELPING YOUR
AVERAGE PERFORMERS
PRESENTED BY HEATHER SUNDERLIN, M.S., PHR
HUMAN RESOURCE DIRECTOR AT WALL, EINHORN &
HERNITZER
, P.C.
BESTPRACTICES CCONFERENCE
2013
1
Outline
1. Introduction
2. What Are the Characteristics of the B & C
Players?
• Group Activity
3. Strategy for Identifying Your B & C Players
• Who, What, When, Why and How
4. Do B & C Players Have a Spot in Your Firm?
• Goal versus Performance?
• Merge On/Off Lanes?
BESTPRACTICES CONFERENCE 2013
2
Outline
5. What Can You Do to Help Your Average
Employees the Most?
• Do They Know?
• How to Tell Them?
• Let’s Practice!!
6. Wrap-up
BESTPRACTICES CONFERENCE 2013
3
Introduction
“Mediocre employees are not your best or worst
performers. They are right in the middle. Their
focus is not on excelling but on expending the
minimum amount of effort to get by each day.
Their adequate, but uninspired, performance can
make the difference between a company that
flourishes and one that merely survives or fails.“
Edward Lowe Foundation 2013
BESTPRACTICES CONFERENCE 2013
4
Introduction
A little about me and my role
A whole lot more about my firm’s current
journey through the process of identifying our
A, B & C employees:
• The process
• The effects
• The journey continues
BESTPRACTICES CONFERENCE 2013
5
Introduction
The process
• We began our HPF journey approximately one
year ago
• The Six Disciplines
• (Leadership, Partner Effectiveness, Client
Management, Business Development, Team
Development, Financial Performance)
BESTPRACTICES CONFERENCE 2013
6
Introduction
The effects
• Management
• Not acting? Divert time and energy,
customer dissatisfaction, affect competitive
edge, internal morale
• Acting? Increased awareness in hiring,
retention and feedback and seats on the bus!!
BESTPRACTICES CONFERENCE 2013
7
Introduction
The effects
• Employees
• Our employees want to work with high
performers…they are not happy with
mediocrity and are not shy about
communicating that to management
BESTPRACTICES CONFERENCE 2013
8
Let’s Get to Work
What are the specific characteristics of B & C
players?
Group Activity
• Each table will take 10 minutes to work
together and create five characteristics of a B
employee and five characteristics of a C
employee.
• Write them on your flip chart and be prepared
to share with the group.
BESTPRACTICES CONFERENCE 2013
9
Let’s Get to Work
• Were all of the characteristics the same for
each table?
• Was there overlap?
• How did your B & C level employee
characteristics compare to those of the A
level/bench level employee characteristics?
• Thoughts on the differences between B and C
players?
BESTPRACTICES CONFERENCE 2013
10
A Level Employee Characteristics
These are your best and brightest!
These are individuals the firm feels could
become shareholders in the next 5-7 years:
• Meet and/or exceed the firm’s
performance standards
• Are team players
• Live the firm’s core values
• Connect with the firm’s vision and
strategy
BESTPRACTICES CONFERENCE 2013
11
Let’s Get to Work
What about the intangible characteristics?
• What are some possible examples?
• Is it fair?
BESTPRACTICES CONFERENCE 2013
12
Let’s Get to Work
Take Away
There is not a perfect set of characteristics for all
of us to follow. Your firm needs to come together
as a group and define the characteristics of the B
and C players.
BESTPRACTICES CONFERENCE 2013
13
Strategy
Strategy for identifying your B & C players:
• Understand there will be differences of
opinion based on firm, group dynamics,
area of specialty, personal feelings…and
believe it or not..the time of year!
• Make sure everyone understands the reason
WHY identifying your A, B and C
employees is important in the process of
becoming a high performance firm.
BESTPRACTICES CONFERENCE 2013
14
Identifying B & C Players?
Who should be involved in identifying the
players?
• Shareholders only?
• Managers?
What should be used to identify the players?
• The characteristics are your guide
• Use your job descriptions
• Use prior evaluations
• What is your “gut” telling you?
BESTPRACTICES CONFERENCE 2013
15
Strategy
Strategy for identifying your B & C players?
• How low should you go?
• Is it fair and/or too early at the staff or
senior level to classify?
• When is the right time?
• Before tax season or after?
• How often should it be reviewed?
BESTPRACTICES CONFERENCE 2013
16
The Reality of It All
Do B & C players even have a spot in your firm?
• Goal versus Performance?
• Goal employees are not on the bench, but
have the potential to improve and move
into the A level employee ranks.
• Performance employees are performing at
minimum and for whatever reason may
not be able or willing to move into the
Goal category. They’ve been informed
they’ll never be on the Goal plan.
BESTPRACTICES CONFERENCE 2013
17
The Reality of It All
One conundrum for many firms is the idea of
career managers
• Are they B players?
• C players?
• Are they just in the way?
The merge on/off lane
• It’s not forever
• It can be a safe haven for those times when
life may get in the way
BESTPRACTICES CONFERENCE 2013
18
Delivering the News
What can you do to help your average employees
the most?
• Do they know?
• How to tell them?
• Let’s practice!!
BESTPRACTICES CONFERENCE 2013
19
Delivering the News
Do they know?
•
•
•
•
Once you identify A-level or bench employees, you
need to have open, honest conversations with the rest
of your employees as soon as possible
You can’t let the rumor mill run the process for you
You need to keep the whole process in a positive
light for everyone
For most employees, it will be like opening a
window to let the light in…they will appreciate the
effort and honesty and will step up to the challenge
of doing what it takes to get on the bench …OR
BESTPRACTICES CONFERENCE 2013
20
Delivering the News
Do they know?
….this could be the catalyst for those employees to
evaluate themselves professionally and decide whether
public accounting or their current role is the right one
for them.
BESTPRACTICES CONFERENCE 2013
21
Delivering the News
Do they know?
•
•
•
•
Realistically, the news you deliver should NOT be a
surprise to anyone…It should be a planning session
between the employee and the firm…
Evaluations and feedback should have framed the
meeting/news well in advance….
Letting the employee know where he/she stands and
then offering feedback/ ideas/plans regarding the
things the employee needs to do to improve
performance and standing is critical!!!
Allow the employee to be an active participant in
planning goals and strategy for improvement.
BESTPRACTICES CONFERENCE 2013
22
Delivering the News
How to tell them?
•
Be prepared to not only deliver the news, but to also
discuss how it:
• Fits into the firm vision and strategic plan
• Specific things the employee needs to do to improve
• Specific things the firm is going to provide:
What are
some other
ideas??
• Mentoring/coaching
• Training
• Setting specific goals to help the employee improve
in specific areas
• Review of job assignments
• Accountability and expectations going forward
BESTPRACTICES CONFERENCE 2013
23
Delivering the News
How to tell them?
• The mentor/coach should be included in the
meeting along with someone from the ranking
group
• Allow the employee time to absorb and ask
questions
• Do not get your feelings hurt if the response is
not one of immediate gratitude or happiness…
BESTPRACTICES CONFERENCE 2013
24
Delivering the News
Let’s Practice!!
We are going to role play the scenario of
delivering the news to an employee that he/she is
on the goal list (B)
•
•
•
•
How did we do?
Was the message clear?
Was the message supported by specific ideas
and tools that will help the employee improve
performance going forward?
What could we have done differently?
BESTPRACTICES CONFERENCE 2013
25
Wrap Up
• Determine the characteristics of B level (Goal)
and C level (Performance) employees
• Decide if there’s a place for B and C level
employees. If so, what does that look like?
• Have open and honest conversations with your
employees to deliver the news
• It’s not OK to just deliver news. Come to the
table with plans and tools ready and work with
employees to improve their performance
• Remember people and circumstances change
BESTPRACTICES CONFERENCE 2013
26
Wrap-Up
Would you rather have five mediocre
employees or two awesome ones??
BESTPRACTICES CONFERENCE 2013
27
Wrap-Up
Questions??
BESTPRACTICES CONFERENCE 2013
28