Leading Performance in Your Team

Where would we be without our fabulous team of practitioners?  Our workforce is critical to providing outstanding services to children and families using our settings, delivering the best practice to help our children flourish and reach their unique potential. 

The success of any early years setting relies on the members of our teams being on top of their game. But it’s not always plain sailing. Not every member of staff provides the outstanding services we strive for and not every employee delivers best practices. So, how do we as leaders ensure that the performance of our team meets our expectations? 

Read on to find out…

What is performance management?

We often hear the term ‘performance management’, but what does this mean in practice? Performance Management is an ongoing process between a manager and a member of staff, supporting them in improving their performance in their role.  This process of performance management is implemented to address, improve and maintain the employee’s performance in their job role. The process should work towards achieving the strategic objectives of the setting and ensure that the setting remains compliant and up to date with current practice. 

Performance management should always be collaborative; an open and honest two-way communication where employees and managers work together. It should be a positive process, a way to plan, monitor, and review an employee’s performance. Performance management is not about finding a way to manage someone out of the setting, it’s about supporting them in being more knowledgeable, more experienced, and more confident in their role, having a positive impact on the individual, the team, and the setting.

Leaders and managers who can have a candid, sincere, and professional dialogue with their employees will build a happy, high-performing, and content team, who will always perform better than a team that feels unrecognised and undervalued.

Knowing the importance of great performance management is one thing, but knowing how to implement effective performance management techniques is another.

7 Top Tips for Effective Performance Management

1. Act!

Underperformance will not just get better on its own, it’s your job to act when you see there is a concern with an employee’s practice. These issues will only get bigger and worse unless they are dealt with early on. 

What’s more, not dealing with underperformance impacts the team as a whole, and certainly doesn’t help the team member in question – they are often blissfully unaware of the problem!  Don’t wait until your next supervision or review to bring up any concerns, act as soon as the problem arises.

2. Candid Conversations

When discussing performance, be open, sincere, and honest. Don’t beat around the bush, be frank but caring and let the person know exactly which aspects of their practice needs to improve. Arrange regular meetings to continue the conversation and review progress. 

3. Set Goals

In order to improve performance, set clear SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and anchored within a Time Frame) goals to work towards. Having SMART goals allows both the leader and the employee to follow up on progress and see what further action needs to be taken.

4. Acknowledge Great Work

We all enjoy it when our work is recognised. You will know which members of your team will revel in public recognition and which prefer a quieter recognition of their work. However you do it, make sure your team know when they are performing well.  This is a great way to build trust and improve your team culture, demonstrating that you notice the small things – and not just the mistakes.

5. Lead Your Team

As a setting leader or manager, you are responsible for the performance of your team. It is your role to monitor your team and ensure that practice is meeting expectations. However, your view may not always be the same as everyone else. Try to see things from their perspective, understand why there may be barriers in their way, such as lack of resources, time constraints, or training needs. Using 360-degree feedback can be extremely helpful here.

6. Build a Team Culture

When working in a team. No one should feel left out, unheard, or disrespected. Building a culture of cohesion, togetherness, and teamwork will enable employees to reach out for help should they need it. This will result in less work around performance management as employees will support each other, challenge each other’s practice and help one another to improve.

7. In It Together

Working together in an early years setting can create work families, and it is important to be clear with each member of the team how their role contributes to the setting as a whole. When practitioners can see the impact they have on the wider setting and realise that their performance is vital to the company, they will be far more motivated.

By applying these 7 top tips, you can manage performance skillfully and quickly, before it becomes a bigger concern. 

For further guidance on leading and managing your team, check out our website www.earlyyearsleadership.co.uk.