When I was developing the 5C model for best-practice remote working, I revisited Ken Blanchard’s book which introduced us to the concept of ‘catching people doing things right’ – placing as much attention and energy on identifying when people are doing their job well (and praising them for it) as we do looking for and addressing mistakes.
It’s a performance management technique that I really recommend. It leverages lessons from positive psychology that emphasise how well people react to positive encouragement. A performance management approach that solely focuses on errors and problems can create a downward spiral, affecting team culture and morale. Furthermore, there’s research that suggests for staff to flourish they need 3-5 positive comments for each negative comment, as criticism lodges more easily, both emotionally and cognitively.
If you’ve got access to KPIs, targets, numbers – or visible outputs such as reports, collateral or products – then spotting good performance can be straightforward. But this is only one aspect of performance – it won’t necessarily pick up all the attitudes, behaviours, skills and attributes your team needs for long-lasting success. There are very few organisations which only focus on the numbers and don’t value proactivity, excellent customer interactions, teamwork and good communication.
When it comes to those behaviours, ‘catching it done right’ relies to a large extent on indirect communication – on overhearing conversations, seeing how people react, spotting when people are helping each other or proactively providing solutions. It’s a technique that’s ideal for an office-based team with high-frequency in-person contact. So now that most people are working remotely for some or all of the time, this is a lot tougher – and it’s even more difficult to do this fairly.
So follow my three step process to focus on the positive side of performance management when remote/hybrid working:
1. What did you do pre-pandemic?
Reflect on how you used to catch people doing things right, and how you praised good performance. What were the mechanisms you used? Were they accidental or purposeful? Were they quantitative or qualitative? Did you rely on other people?
Also consider whether it was a fair approach – did everyone have the same chance to be spotted? Was there bias related to proximity, or maybe the nature of their role, projects or tasks?
2. What do you want to praise?
You need to have clarity on what is doing ‘something right’ so that you are consistent and fair.
While quantitative measures such as KPIs are easier to monitor, the real value of this approach is trying to identify ‘soft skills’ and positive attitudes and behaviours – such as taking initiative, going the extra mile, bringing solutions not problems, giving great customer service.
- Organisational standards: Can you use existing frameworks such as Person Specifications, behavioural competencies, appraisal or talent development processes? What is in the JD/PS of the next role they want? If there is a formal Reward & Recognition programme what does it focus on?
- Team expectations: What is the culture of the team? Is there a Team Charter or other agreement that sets out how people should act, support, challenge and help each other?
- Hybrid working: Are there behaviours which are harder to deliver in a remote / hybrid environment and that you want to encourage? – for example, working across team/ department boundaries.
3. How to spot the behaviour?
There isn’t an easy one-size-fits-all approach to ‘catching people doing something right’. You’ll need to consider the first two steps and then see what will work in the specifics of your organisation and hybrid working model (e.g. frequency of contact). Quantitative measures such as KPIs and performance metrics are easy, so let’s look at the more difficult-to-spot behaviours:
A network, not a wheel: Can you shape the team culture so that praise and acknowledgement from peers becomes normal? In this way it doesn’t just rely on the manager as the hub of everything. To encourage such a network of positive sharing, I’ve known meetings which included a formal ‘compliments’ section, and also managers who request praise for peers during 1-1 meetings. Now there are obviously issues of dynamics, bias and subjectivity to consider, but a high performing team should be communicating honestly – that means both criticism and praise.
Agree informal approaches: Many managers provide informal feedback when they interact with someone from another team who is performing well. You could agree with relevant managers (e.g. same floor, office or department – or a key functional relationship) to provide positive feedback on each other’s team members. You can role model this behaviour by making sure that you pass on praise to your peers about their team members.
Revamp formal organisational approaches: How do company-wide systems need to change to reflect the priorities and practicalities of remote and hybrid working? Effective approaches include adapting recognition schemes so they reward cross-silo nominations and creating an award for demonstrating resilience.
Make it fair: When designing your system, make sure that everyone has an equal chance to be spotted, in terms of the tasks you allocate and your level of contact. Does the hybrid model mean you’re having more in-person contact with one employee than another? If there are differences, what do you need to put in place to provide an equal opportunity for recognition and praise (e.g. proactive liaison with others who might interact with the person more than you)
Make success public: Make your recognition and appreciation of those who’ve being doing well part of 1-1 and team meetings. It’ll set standards and help build a positive team culture.
Over to you
It would be great to hear your thoughts on this – have you found it harder to praise your team for their work when remote working? Or has there been so much extra effort that it has not been such a problem yet?
If you need further assistance with implementing these approaches, or other support for developing an effective hybrid-working model, then Formium Development can help with a range of bespoke solutions from consultancy support through to our online training Remote Leadership Mastery.
Eszter Molnar Mills is a leadership, management and organisational development specialist, who helps organisations and individuals reach enhanced performance by reflecting on what works, and developing skills and strategies for improvement. Founder and director of Formium Development, Eszter’s particular interests involve the impact of positive psychology and strength-based approaches on individual and organisational development. She has recently supported managers with the transition to remote and hybrid working, and is researching the role of leadership for implementing Industry 4.0.
