4 Managing performance
This chapter covers
- The importance of managing performance
- Best practices for performance management and expectations
- Performance reviews
- How to manage high and low performance
Performance management involves embracing employees’ strengths and being open to innovative ideas—even ones that change the status quo.
As a new engineering manager (EM) overseeing critical product features for a team, you have one engineer, David, who consistently meets deadlines and takes on additional stretch work. Jason, another strong engineer, focuses on streamlining technical processes but misses key deliverables due to this extra effort. Although Jason’s contributions have long-term benefits, his time management affects project timelines.
Managing performance involves understanding team motivations and providing continuous feedback to foster growth and trust. In David’s case, he meets expectations, but Jason’s situation requires coaching on balancing priorities and timely communication. Effective performance management involves recognizing and rewarding high performance while providing guidance to address deviations. By intervening and mentoring Jason, you, as EM, can optimize team productivity and project outcomes.