An evaluation program is one designed to focus your team members’ attention on the level of performance expected of them, to provide measures of how far they reach those expected performance levels, and to communicate this information to them in a way they accept and use as a basis for making any changes their work may require.
When you can’t expect an individual’s performance to improve, the evaluation can then be used to support any corrective personnel action you decide to take.
Do you evaluate the person or the employee?
Evaluation is a process that repeats on a regular basis, and its value lies in continuous follow-up and support. Through this and other interactions, you’ll gradually build a clearer picture of what each team member is like and how they operate.
To evaluate performance = ability x attitude
Always work from these two variables: what they know (ability) and the willingness and drive with which they do their job (attitude).
This is a simple way to evaluate every member of your team in a single document. Even if you don’t know them yet, you’ll be able to make an assessment once you see them at work and hold your first meetings with them.
Create a spreadsheet and score ability and attitude from 1 to 5, multiply both figures to get a result, and add a comments column. These comments improve your understanding of the score obtained; they’re the arguments that justify the number.
Split the results into 3 groups:
- Above 20 points: the standout performers
- Between 15 and 20 points: the backbone of your team
- Below 12 points: the ones who’ll give you the most work
It’s worth noting that attitude in the store is always more important: the desire to learn and being a good teammate.
- Attitude
In the final assessment, attitude carries the most weight. The good news is being above 3; if it’s below, it becomes a priority when evaluating your team.
It’s the person’s disposition toward the project: their drive, availability, and initiative in taking on tasks and responsibilities, and how their relational style impacts the rest of the team.
A good attitude always makes the difference: facing challenges with courage, an eye on what’s possible, and a gaze fixed on the future.
People move between greed and fear. If you observe closely, you can tell where the people around you stand. Fear keeps people in their comfort zone; greed, on the other hand, will lead your team to dream big, refuse to settle, and question their own performance every day.
The key is to get the team to deliver the extra that isn’t in the contract. If a person does this, they’ll earn a 5 on attitude. Attitude before ability, since the rest can be taught.
- Ability
It’s the knowledge and experience needed to perform a given activity properly.
You need to guide your team toward a score of 5, and the best training they’ll receive will be yours. The knowledge that makes an impact will be yours.
The evaluation will help you create material that serves as training, both individual and collective. Training is part of your responsibilities: being proactive and taking charge of making the team better.
- Versatility
In a store, many different functions are carried out at the same time, and each one has its own specialty.
It’s not advisable to put someone on the till to take payments on day one. As time goes by, they’ll acquire new skills and get to know the store better, and little by little you can teach them more complex and varied functions.
It’s important that everyone can perform different functions, as this makes internal operations much easier and adds flexibility. Make a list of the functions carried out in your store, such as the till, the stockroom, sales, restocking, inventory, and then work through job rotation in an orderly way.
- Productivity
Once the team does its job well and does it with the right disposition, the next thing to look after is the pace at which they do it, measured against a unit of time. Productivity.
It’s about improving the result with the same resources and in the same time; it’s tied to the availability of resources against the needs and to the team’s training.
Practice anticipation:
- Team versatility: put other team members on the till.
- Well-built schedules: plan for enough staff when foot traffic is highest.
- A well-trained team will eliminate queues and improve the customer experience.
- You’ll avoid losing customers.
Summary:
- Constantly assess your team
- Assess by attitude and ability
- Create a spreadsheet and review it every month
- Hire based on the candidate’s attitude
- Train them
- Ensure versatility and measure productivity
- Address any attitude problem
Failure doesn’t come from a lack of sales; it comes from a lack of preparation.