Assess Performance, Then Coach

One of the common mistakes leaders fall trap to is that they make “people” decisions solely based on gut feel. Instincts are important, but without a disciplined approach to performance measurement leaders tend to be inconsistent in their development efforts and increase risk of team member attrition.

The Stop Light Grid can help. Like other key performance indicator tools, it can be a simple way to evaluate the performance of your people and inform your coaching efforts. It provides a simple and disciplined scan of the strengths and weaknesses of your team members, individually and collectively, so that you can objectively evaluate performance and tailor your feedback and coaching appropriately.

Here are 3 steps to get started.

Step 1:

The first step is to identify 4-6 evaluative focus areas that are important to measure when it comes to team member performance. These may be based on an internal competency model, your leadership philosophy, and company values. In the example shown here, we used 3 key areas – “Relating”, “Being”, and “Achieving.”  These are based on The Leadership Circle 360 profile that we often use with our talented clients. We also added a fourth component – Coachability – which comes from our corporate leadership values and philosophy. All of these components are rated on a scale of 1through 10.

Step 2:

The second step is to identify key risk factors. Risk factors are behaviors that derail peoples’ careers. In our example, we use micromanage, controlling, egotistical, and avoiding. Other risk factors might be related to autocratic behavior, arrogance, and complying or passive tendencies. These components subtract from the team member’s total score on a scale of -1 through -5.

Step 3:

The last step is to total the scores and use the information to guide your 1-1 coaching sessions. In some cases you’ll be able to organize your team members into “A”, “B”, and “C” players.

Learn more about our executive coaching program.