EVOLVING PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT—
BECAUSE THE WORK YOU DO MATTERS.
THE POWER OF PARTNERSHIP.
GROWING OUR BUSINESS AND OURSELVES.
To fuel our continued growth for today and tomorrow, we’re evolving our idea of performance management. Performance Planning + Development (PP+D) is a new way of leading by connecting. Leading by listening as allies. And leading by engaging. Because how we work matters too.
The closer we work together, the greater our success—as
individuals, as teams and as One Ecolab. PP+D gives employees and managers tools for discussing and fine-tuning performance and development objectives in real time. By cultivating
stronger employee-manager partnerships, the path to success becomes clearer and we’re more engaged in our work; more aligned to our goals.
THREE CYCLES.
ONE COMMON GOAL.
CLEAR, CANDID, CONSTRUCTIVE CONVERSATIONS ARE AT THE CENTER OF PP+D.
OBJECTIVES
ANNUAL REVIEW
DAY-TO-DAY CONNECTIONS
Performance Planning + Development is a foundational practice powered by clear, candid, constructive employee-manager conversations. The power of PP+D lies in the active management of three cycles throughout the year: an objectives cycle, an annual review cycle, and, most importantly, a day-to-day cycle where we connect anytime it matters.
We begin each year with an understanding of our prior year contributions relative to expectations. Then clarify the critical few objectives that matter most for success in the year ahead. Throughout the year we engage in periodic conversations to discuss how we’re doing and continuously learn and adapt as needed. By connecting less formally and more regularly to support learning while doing, performance rises and talent develops. This is the power of the employee-manager partnership.
OBJECTIVES CYCLE.
The objectives cycle is where we create focus and alignment on the critical few objectives that will significantly drive growth and progress—for the business and for the individual. It’s also where we create a clear path to success by discussing
metrics and expectations for each objective.
1
ECOLAB
DIVISION/FUNCTION/TEAM
INDIVIDUAL
ALIGN. FOCUS.
INSPIRE.
Out are long lists of objectives and tasks. In are meaningful discussions about the critical few objectives that will align and focus performance for the year ahead. The objectives cycle is
designed to help translate higher level business priorities into focused personal objectives and expectations. Objectives should follow the SIMple guideline: Specific, Important and
Measurable. Expectations—whether quantitative or qualitative—clarify how success is measured.
CASCADING OBJECTIVES: Builds alignment and focus.
Identify the critical few objectives (typically 3–5) that matter most to growing our business results.
Keep objectives SIMple—Specific, Important and Measurable.
Determine whether an objective is a
“breakthrough” or a “sustaining”
objective. Breakthrough objectives
“change the game” and drive progress on strategic business priorities. Sustaining objectives focus on continuous
improvement in core processes and annual operating plan deliverables.
Clarify expectations up front—describe the metrics and/or qualitative indicators that represent a job well done.
As changes in the customer or business environment occur, recalibrate objectives and expectations as needed to sustain progress and manage workloads.
1
2
3
4
5
KEYS TO SUCCESS IN SETTING ANNUAL OBJECTIVES
OBJECTIVES CYCLE : AN OVERVIEW
SETTING SIMPLE OBJECTIVES.
Aligning individual objectives with our most important business priorities ensures the work we do matters. Specific and measurable objectives clarify what is expected and set us up for success.
OBJECTIVES CYCLE : AN OVERVIEW
SPECIFIC
Are the objective descriptions clear? Are they realistic but challenging?
IMPORTANT
Do any of my objectives require a breakthrough where a significant change in performance or approach is required to be successful? Are these linked to the organization’s strategy?
MEASURABLE
What will success look like? What are the quantitative metrics and/or qualitative indicators that represent a job well done?
ANNUAL
REVIEW CYCLE.
The annual review cycle is our
opportunity to summarize and recognize past results, communicate an overall performance rating for the prior year, and create a development plan to optimize effectiveness in light of current
objectives. This is also a time to explore and prepare for career opportunities that align with personal talents and interests as well as business needs.
2
LOOK BACK.
PLAN AHEAD.
The annual review cycle is our opportunity to recognize past year results relative to objectives and expectations. Results are reviewed in two
important categories: (1) business results and (2) talent and team development results. Business results are key contributions to growing the business, serving customers and improving core processes. Talent and team development results are tangible ways we’ve grown our own performance and capability or helped our team become more effective or productive. Ultimately, performance is about delivering on today’s business priorities and developing ourselves and our teams for tomorrow’s opportunities.
The annual review helps set ourselves up for success as we prepare for the year ahead. In light of our past performance and current objectives, we identify 2–3 key opportunities and action plans to improve effectiveness in our current role. It’s also the opportunity to explore career development interests and plan our next steps as we reach mastery in our current role.
Bottom Line: The annual review is much more than a form-filling exercise. It’s an opportunity to recognize past results and set ourselves up for future success by focusing on the things that matter most in the year ahead.
ANNUAL REVIEW CYCLE : AN OVERVIEW
SETTING OURSELVES UP FOR SUCCESS.
ANNUAL REVIEW CYCLE : AN OVERVIEW
• Anticipating how an employee leverages strengths to reach new objectives.
• Creating a clear path to success, while identifying what that looks like.
• Coaching employees on the specific areas they can improve and optimize performance.
Summarize individual contributions and impact over the past year by gathering a 360O perspective and recognizing business, talent and team development results.
Every development plan shares a common focus: helping employees master their current roles and identifying ways to prepare for future opportunities.
A strong Coaching and Development plan focuses on:
PAST RESULTS
FUTURE OBJECTIVES
The bridge between the past, the present, and the future.
PAST RESULTS
Identify the 3-5 objectives that will drive performance and results.
FUTURE OBJECTIVES
COACHING + DEVELOPMENT PLAN
COACHING + DEVELOPMENT PLAN
OPTIMIZING
PERFORMANCE.
ANNUAL REVIEW CYCLE : AN OVERVIEW
PERFORMANCE
=
Motivation x Ability x Organizational Support.
A Coaching + Development plan helps people focus their performance and impact in the coming year. A successful plan should leverage individual strengths and help close any gaps in motivation, ability and/or organizational support.
Consider your own performance and development. Where do you see the greatest opportunities to partner with your manager and set yourself up for success?
MOTIVATION
What keeps you focused and motivated—both short-term and long-term?
Think about what motivates you to action and use that to drive results.
ABILITY
What strengths and abilities can be leveraged?
Are there ability gaps that can be closed in the coming year?
DAY-TO-DAY
CONNECTIONS CYCLE.
The day-to-day connections cycle is our
opportunity to adjust priorities and expectations as needed and support continuous learning to optimize performance. These regular
connections help optimize performance and business results throughout the year.
Connecting informally whenever it matters helps us calibrate, learn, and deliver better results—in a 50/50 employee-manager partnership.
3
CONNECTIONS.
ANYTIME IT MATTERS.
DAY-TO-DAY CONNECTIONS CYCLE : AN OVERVIEW
Regular conversations, when they matter to us, can make all the difference in performance. Because ongoing feedback and coaching is the best way to set ourselves up for success and sustain positive momentum in our work.
The day-to-day connections cycle is about initiating a connection when it matters to you—as a manager or as an employee. A connection often will be an informal five-minute conversation to discuss priorities, provide feedback, or seek coaching. Periodically, it will mean spending a bit more time in a check-in conversation to discuss what’s working well, what we’ve learned, and any insights that can fuel positive results.
These ongoing connections help ensure we are focused on the right
priorities, seeing eye-to-eye on expectations, and continuously learning—not just once a year, but regularly throughout the year. After project milestones, we connect to celebrate progress. When we are confused or feeling
overloaded, we connect to revisit priorities and come up with an action plan.
When we want to push our capability to the next level, we connect with a coach or mentor; often your manager or someone else who can help take your performance from good to great.
Bottom Line: When we connect anytime it matters, the path to success remains clear.
We’re more engaged because we’re more
DAY-TO-DAY CONNECTIONS CYCLE : AN OVERVIEW
TEAM PROGRESS
BUSINESS RESULTS
LEARNING
&
DOING
An active partnership drives progress.
Good to Great is only a connection away.
What connections matter most to you?
CONNECT + CALIBRATE
As projects and objectives evolve, connect to re-prioritize objectives—what’s on top of the list and what’s not? Identify what you will continue, start and stop doing to sustain focus on what matters most.
CONNECT + COACH
When problems arise (and they do), take time to connect and explore creative options for moving forward—it helps everyone do their best work.
CONNECT + DEVELOP
Seek out and connect with people who can provide direct mentorship, advice and tools needed to make the leap from good to great in your current role. This helps you decide what might fit as a next step in your career.
PP+D
At Ecolab, performance discussions aren’t bound by once-a-year paperwork, but by opportunity, inspiration and a shared commitment to success.
Connections are more regular and less formal. Not because we have to, but because everyone achieves and develops more when we do.
