PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT – WHAT’S SCIENCE GOT TO DO WITH IT?
Steve Marriott tells us how we can apply our knowledge of brain chemistry to those all-important staff appraisals.
Like it or not, our behaviours are heavily influenced by the chemical reactions taking place in our brains. And, as we learnt earlier this week, brain chemistry plays a vital role when it comes to performance management techniques and leadership.
Here, he shares his tips on adapting our knowledge of hormones to workplace appraisals.
Reduce stress
• The problem: Stress levels are likely to rise when you’re invited to an appraisal, as many people perceive it as a pre-cursor to punishment. As such, cortisol levels are likely to rise and the impending meeting is seen as a threat, meaning we go into it feeling anxious and unlikely to gain anything positive from it.
• The solution: As a manager, it is vital that we counteract this with dopamine through recognition of achievement, oxytocin through trust and respect and serotonin through appreciation. This should be done before, during and after performance management sessions.
Set goals
• The problem: Employees may sit in their appraisals and become overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information and feedback being thrown at them.
• The solution: Giving employees tasks and goals that are tailored to their individual strengths and talents ensure that their training path is appropriate, meaning that success is much more achievable and that it can be reinforced with serotonin to sustain the effort and application.
Maintain growth
• The problem: After a performance management meeting, goals, feedback and issues can get pushed to the side as the to-do list gets in the way again. Staff may lose their motivation and lose sight of why they should jump on their specific actions.
• Solution: Follow-up actions are crucial in order to ensure that goals are reached sooner rather than later. During this time, adrenaline levels are likely to build and ignite a feeling of ‘fight’ in some people. So, they’re likely to be fuelled with grit and determination, as well as resilience and tenacity. However, employees will also be anticipating a dopamine rush for achievement and serotonin for approval from their boss.
When taking brain chemistry and hormones into the realms of HR, it’s useful to share any insights with the wider senior team and, eventually, the team members themselves. Once they have a baseline understanding of how their own brain works, they can begin to spot their own drivers and also their colleagues’, meaning that the workforce becomes both collaborative and forward-thinking.
Fancy a chat about re-booting your leadership, get in touch.