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Resource-equipping
The Third Function of Performance-building
Author: John Correll       Publisher: Correll Consulting, LLC       www.correllconcepts.com

In order for employees, or team members, to achieve desired performance, they must have the resources to do it. Resources refers to the material, financial, informational, technological, and organizational wherewithal to do a particular job the way it's supposed to be done.

Inadequate resources plays a bigger role in performance problems than most leaders know. That's because we all tend to conclude that employees already have everything they need. To avoid this faux pas, always assume there's “one more thing” that employees need in order to take performance up one more notch.

In a nutshell, the process for equipping employees with the resources necessary for desired performance is:

This is the third function of performance-building. (For an overview of the performance-building process, click here.)

THE THREE BEST WAYS to find out what employees need are:

1.  EXPERIENCE the performance yourself.

2.  OBSERVE it being done.

3.  ASK employees “What could you use that would enable you to do your job more easily and effectively?”

We'll discuss each of the ways.

Experiencing the Performance
To experience the performance yourself: Work the jobs of your employees (i.e., direct reports) for at least one complete day each year.

Many leaders are reluctant to do this because they're busy and can't afford the time, or they originally “came from the job” and therefore feel they already know everything about it, or they don't feel comfortable doing what employees do, or they don't know how to do the employees' job.

The most valid reason of the four is the last one. In that case, instead of working the employee's job, work alongside the employee/s for a day.

Observing the Job
To observe the employees' job: Closely observe the team in action for a few hours.

Analyze what's happening and determine what's needed for enhanced performance. This is what a sports coach does when s/he views a game. If the operation is so complex you can't take it all in with a single viewing, consider video taping — which coaches do, as well.

Asking about What's Needed
To ask your employees what they need: Hold a meeting and pose this question: “What could you use that would enable you to do your job more easily and effectively?”

Don't critique responses as that discourages input. Just write down what people say. After gathering everyone's answers, ask questions and hold group discussion if needed.

Another way to do it is to conduct a survey, posing the above question to employees individually.

What Resources are Needed?
Most jobs require more kinds of resources than we imagine.

The following list illustrates the range. Many of the most vital resources are of the managerial-organizational type, critical for supervisory effectiveness yet often overlooked by leaders when delegating to supervisors.

CHECKLIST OF PERFORMANCE-ENABLING RESOURCES
•  Funds

•  Materials and supplies

•  Tools and technology

•  Uniform

•  Safety gear

•  Adequate efficient working space with good lighting and temperature, freedom from distraction

•  Personal labor time made available

•  Support staff labor time made available

•  Working knowledge of organizational factors — including procedures required for the task, grooming and attire, where to go in the company for trouble-shooting assistance and “political” help, personality quirks of key people, company goals and priorities, and rules, limits, and legalities

•  Contacts with vital suppliers

•  Performance aids, visual aids

•  Research data, historical data

•  Performance feedback means

•  Performance model/performance mentor

•  Incentive for special achievement

•  Positive-attitude work environment

•  Performance goal and action plan

•  Decision-making guides

•  Authority needed for guiding human performance — including hiring-firing authority, compensatory authority, directive authority, decision authority, and rule-changing authority