Work is a relationship. The attributes that drive engagement in the workplace happen to be the same qualities people look for in personal relationships: Feeling valued and cared for. A sense of trust and appreciation. So, what if we treated team members the same way we treat friends and family? What if we designed best practices to build rather than break down those relationships? What if we made decisions from a place of love?
Today, we’re joined by Jason Lauritsen, an expert in the realm of employee engagement and performance management. Jason has dedicated his career to solving for dysfunction in the workplace, exploring the issue from multiple perspectives as a headhunter, corporate HR VP, researcher and consultant. His new release, Unlocking High Performance, explores how performance management can be used to engage and empower employees to reach their full potential.
Jason shares his deep understanding of the history of work, explaining why we’re stuck in a contract model designed 120 years ago. He describes his relationship-based approach to decision-making in the workplace, offering insight on what leaders can do to diagnose performance issues, cultivate employee growth, and deliver feedback in a supportive way. Listen in for Jason’s take on eliminating the traditional appraisal system—and learn how to apply design thinking to create best practices specific to your organization.
Themes explored in this week’s episode:
- Why work is organized around a contract model that is not good for human beings
- The connection between employee engagement and LOVE
- Applying The Relationship Test to build engagement at work
- Jason’s frustration with managers who don’t spend time with their people
- Delivering feedback that is oriented around future performance
- What leaders in performance management can do to optimize growth
- Jason’s advice around eliminating the traditional appraisal system
- Applying design thinking to make best practices fit your organization
- Jason’s suggestions for operationalizing the data you collect
- The power in asking, “Where am I going?”
Jason’s 5 questions for diagnosing performance issues:
- Are they clear on expectations?
- Do they know how they’re doing?
- Do they have what they need?
- Are they capable?
- Are they choosing not to perform?
