January is a great time of year for an Associate Review, Renew, and Redo by way of a Review Meeting.
NOTE: The below steps are based on the assumption that you have pre-prepared written Job Descriptions and/or have a written Contract/Agreement for your Associate.
Step 1: Prepare in Advance
- Identify the top three strengths of each Associate
- Identify the top three improvements of each Associate
- Identify the top three incompletions of each Associate
(The above is so that you can share them with the Associate in the Review Meeting.)
Step 2: Send an Associate Email
====
(This is a seamless way to set up the Review)
Subject line: Review
Dear Associate (personalize this with their name),
Happy New Year!
In order to help you and the company meet and exceed goals for 2016 I believe it’s time that we completed your Review.
I would like to have a Review Meeting with you in 10 days time and in advance of this Review Meeting I would like you to prepare your updated Job Descriptions and/or Contract/Agreement, and answer the following six questions;
- What has the company accomplished in 2015?
- What have you accomplished in 2015?
- What didn’t the company get done in 2015?
- What didn’t you get done in 2015?
- What further actions can the company take towards meeting their goals in 2016?
- What further actions can you take towards meeting your goals in 2016?
Thank you in advance for investing the time to prepare to help you and the company meet and exceed goals for 2016.
Yours sincerely,
=====
Step 3: Schedule the Review Meeting
Step 4: Hold the Review Meeting
Start the meeting off with some Rapport Building Questions:
- How were your Holidays?
- What travel plans do you have for 2016?
- How is it going with your ________________ (project/hobby/other interests)?
I want to confirm that you have come prepared with an updated Job Descriptions and/or Contract/Agreement (that segues from the original Job Descriptions and/or Contract/Agreement that is in place ). If the Associate doesn’t have their updated Job Descriptions and/or Contract/Agreement – see step 5.
Next, share the top three strengths that you prepared in advance and it could sound something like;
I really appreciate you taking the time to prepare in advance for our Review Meeting which is about helping you and the company meet and exceed goals for 2016. In advance of the meeting I took some time to think about you and here are the top three strengths that you bring to the company;
- You are _________
- You are _________
- You are _________
Next, review the Job Descriptions and/or Contract/Agreement with the Associate line by line / task by task and ask the Associate to rate their performance on a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being low, 10 being high.
This could sound something like, as a first step of our Review let’s review your Job Descriptions and/or Contract/Agreement and line by line/task by task I would like you to rate your performance on a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being low, 10 being high.
Ask the Associate what further actions they can take towards improving line by line / task by task of their Job Descriptions and/or Contract/Agreement.
Your next step is to review Questions 1-6 (from the email) and their answers with your Associate. Have them lead the way by answering each question first. Then, you can offer your answers (suggestion: comments) as a follow-up. This strategy helps your Associate to increase their accountability and responsibility.
As a wrap up, thank your Associate for their contribution and confirm the actions that they are going to take to meet and exceed their goals for 2016.
90% of your Associates are going to prepare in advance for the meeting by updating their Job Descriptions and/or Contract/Agreement along with Answering the 6 Questions.
10% percent of your Associates will not prepare in advance of the meeting and will show up without their updated Job Descriptions and/or Contract/Agreement.
Not updating their Job Descriptions and/or Contract/Agreement is like strike one in baseball and they may already have a lot of strikes against them.
If your Associate shows up for the Review Meeting without an updated Job Description and has a lot of strikes against them (that may include some of the following);
- Habitually asking for draws in advance of commission payouts
- Not completing sales reports on time
- Rarely meeting their sales goals
- Underperforming
Invite a witness into the meeting and this could be a Partner or an Assistant.
Step 5: Prepare for an Associate Exit
If you have made the decision that the Associate is to exit the company proceed with the following.
Share the top three strengths that you prepared in advance. (This could sound something like);
In advance of the meeting I took some time to think about you and here are the top three strengths that you bring to the company;
- You are _________
- You are _________
- You are _________
At the same time, I am challenged by the incompletions in your Job Descriptions and/or Contract/Agreement that include;
- Habitually asking for draws in advance of commission payouts
- Not completing sales reports on time
- Rarely meeting their sales goals
- Underperforming
Your decision to not update your Job Descriptions and/or Contract/Agreement is like strike one in baseball, and over this past year you have many strikes against you and just like baseball, three strikes you’re out.
I believe that we are at the conclusion of our working relationship.
Depending upon their situation you can explain how they will exit and be paid out.
From Simon’s Desk are excerpts from the Coaching Call Follow Up E-mails that I provide my clients with after our bi-weekly coaching calls.
International Values and Behavioral Analyst, Business Coach, Speaker and Author
Executive Coaching Tips for Financial Advisors
Speaking at a City Near You