People Operations

CHAPTER 14Performance Alignment

The moment each of your employees' individual efforts directly helps your business achieve its overarching goals is the moment your business starts humming.

If you've ever been there, you know what this looks like. Your staff arrive at the job, hang their coats, settle into their workspace, and know exactly what to do. Each tiny little aspect of work, which we all know makes up most of the work day, is aligned; a coagulating mass and strength that helps your business move mountains.

At the individual level, employees know how to thrive. They've been given the tools to excel at their work. They feel safe asking questions or offering ideas to their boss. And their individual goals have a direct and clear impact on the business's goals.

When we say “unleash your workforce,” we don't just mean removing tasks that can be automated, although that helps. We mean creating an environment in which employees do their best work, unfettered by lack of clarity or unsupportive communication. It is an environment in which each tiny piece of work counts.

Traditionally, businesses relied on traditional performance management processes—like annual review cycles—to ensure employees were effectively contributing to the business. Once‐a‐year reviews identified both top employees and bottom‐performers and rewarded them with either salary increases or course‐correction plans, respectively.

These yearly events were stress inducing for everyone involved. Employees worked ...