Performance Evaluation – a Necessity and with Technology, a Possibility for Small Businesses

Performance Evaluation (PE) is the lifeblood of performance development for any organization. However, there is a misconception that PE is the sole purview of medium to large businesses or companies with dedicated HR and Performance Managers.

This misconception may have been once valid because of the resource demands of PE, which makes it prohibitive for smaller businesses to afford. The challenge is to understand why PE is needed especially by small business and to discover smart solutions to address the resource constraints.

As a PE expert and a business owner myself, I walk my talk. Just recently, my team has completed their 2016 PE using the tips I am about to share with you on this article. Our best practices are the product of more than 24 years of experience in the business of improving human performance in the workplace. If you have the need for modernizing your PE , if the tips I share resonate to you and your business or if you want samples of our PE tools, please email us and we will be happy to share with you our best practices.

Top 3 Reasons Why PE is a necessity for start-ups and small businesses:

All (Few But Best) Hands on Deck

Start-ups and small businesses usually begin with a handful to a few number of employees, who are multi-tasking to cover all business aspects. You need to make sure that every person in the company earns their keep and contributes to the business.

Larger organizations, with checks in balance in place, may be able to afford one poor performer because the effect can be contained and can be addressed or “averaged out” by other good performing team members. A small business does not have these luxuries.

A PE will help business owners and managers make good and objective decisions on the employee roster for both rewards and disciplinary actions.

Start Right, Grow Right

Pioneers in the organization need to be aware that their current behavior; however, minor or critical it may be, sets the tone for future business culture. As early as day 1 of the business, you need to lay the foundations of professionalism and performance to the standards you require.

PE will help you transform company standards into concrete measurements and indicators of desired levels of professionalism and performance. These are information that can allow you to formulate more effective business goals and targets.

There is No Failure, Only Feedback

Performance thrives better on positive and constructive feedback instead of criticism and notions of failure. Positive feedback causes better motivation and deeper inspiration to deliver excellent results. These results are doubly valuable in start-ups and small businesses. PE can deliver this kind of positive feedback.

Cloud PE

Now with the benefit of technology, PE is now even smarter, more efficient and effective than ever and made even possible in the cloud. Plus, with smart PEs, even start-ups and small businesses can have a full-blown PE just like large companies with dedicated HRs.

The old paper and pen method of PE is now being seen as obsolete. Online survey tools are the best alternative. They are engaging and even fun to use for employees and easy to roll out and manage for HR and PE managers.

You have an entire range of user-friendly PE tool / survey making platforms available today:

Survey Monkey: https://www.surveymonkey.com
Typeform: http://www.typeform.com
Google Forms: https://www.google.com/forms
Client Heartbeat: https://www.clientheartbeat.com
Zoho Survey: https://www.zoho.com/survey/
Survey Gizmo: http://www.surveygizmo.com
Survey Planet: https://surveyplanet.com

Most of these survey making platforms start off with free subscriptions. For example, Survey Monkey will allow a maximum of 10 questions with a useful set of answer parameters, such as multiple choice, rating, and open-ended fields. If you intend to subscribe to paid memberships, more options will be made available.

How We Do PE

Personality Matters, Inc. is an leadership and change coaching business founded by Dr. Cherry Collier. She leads a core team of coaches and support consultants . Every member of the organization is crucial, performing tasks for different areas of the business, from product development, marketing, management to the core coaching services. We keep our team well-oiled and challenged by implementing PE at regular intervals of the business cycle.

We maintain a set of accounts on different survey-making platforms to maximize their use and fill the gaps of one tool through another tool. At most, we only need a day to design the tool and less than a minute to send out the links for the online survey. Once we have the responses, we only need a few clicks of the buttons to collate and to subject the results to statistical data. No paperwork, no manual counting, no tabulation, not even a calculator. The data is ready for our analysis and action. Our team’s performance was boosted partly because of such simple but effective tools.

Plus, we get to combine our expertise on PE and our knowledge of these platforms into products and services. We offer our clients the ability to maximize these already free tools into something useful and customized for their own organizations. Since they can be used for free, it is a no-brainer for most executives and decision-makers to accept and implement.

When PE is properly implemented and managed, it can catapult individuals, teams, and organization into greater heights of success. With the intersection of technology, online PE is easy to roll out, analyze, report and made useful especially for small businesses.

Try PE now, better yet, try PE using these free and user-friendly platforms!
Create a powerful day!

Cherry A. Collier, Ph.D., MCC, CNLPMC, RCC, CPCC

Chief Collaboration Officer, Master Certified Executive Coach & Inclusion Strategist

Personality Matters Incorporated provides many services including coaching, leadership, and organizational development. It is Personality Matters, Inc.’s goal to help facilitate the necessary resources and tools to help individuals and organizations grow to achieve their goals.

919.4.PEOPLE or 919.473.6753

Email: mypersonalitymatters@gmail.com

Blog: https://drcherrycoaching.com/myblog/

Web Personality Matters: www.pmatters.org

Web Dr. Cherry: https://drcherrycoaching.com/

My latest books:

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Dr. Cherry

Cherry A. Collier, Ph.D. is an Organizational Psychologist, Strategist, Executive Coach, and Diversity, Inclusion, & Belonging Consultant for Personality Matters, Inc. Her science-based approach and brain-based techniques, propel people, teams, and organizations to build bridges and work from the inside out to achieve their goals. Dr. Cherry specializes in emotional intelligence, neuroscience, leadership development, and DEI Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. She received her Doctorate and Master of Science in Applied Social/Organizational Psychology from the University of Georgia and Graduated Magna Cum Laude from Spelman College. She is the author of more than twenty-five Human Behavior related books for leaders, executives, and coaches. Dr. Cherry is often called the DEI Whisperer because she has a unique ability to fiercely “hold the space” and be totally present which creates a psychologically safe environment that allows others all the space they need to fully express themselves. She listens to others with head, heart and hands approach so that they are heard, seen and understood.