Two habits keep a team on track. The first is to talk to people early about how their work is going. The second is to write down the day, so your manager can see what you see.
When to have a performance conversation
Have it early, and keep it short. If someone has arrived late three times this week, or the labels keep coming out wrong, do not wait for a bad month. A two-minute chat on day three is much easier than a hard talk after three months.
The same goes for good work. When someone does something well, tell them what it was. People repeat what gets noticed.
Three habits for a short conversation
- Keep it private and brief. Pick a calm moment away from the team, not the middle of a rush. A few minutes is enough.
- Say what you saw, then listen. Name the thing you noticed, such as "the scanners were returned after 16:30 on Tuesday and Wednesday". "You are careless" is an opinion. A date and an example is a fact. Then ask what is going on. You may hear about a missing tool or a problem you did not know about.
- Finish with one small next step. Agree it together, and say when you will check in.
"Mpho, the end-of-shift check sheet was blank on Monday and Wednesday. I wanted to check in. What is getting in the way?" Mpho says the sheet is kept in the office, a long walk from the dock when the shift ends. You agree that you will move the sheet to the dock today, and that you will look at it together on Friday.
This lesson is about everyday conversations, not discipline. If a problem is serious, or carries on after you have talked, do not invent your own punishment. Follow your company's own policy, and ask your manager or HR for advice before you take any formal step.
Daily reporting
A report turns your day into something your manager can act on. Keep it short, use the same format every day, and write it the same day while you still remember the details.
Be honest. Report problems as well as good news. Hiding a problem does not fix it. Usually it grows, and by the time it shows up nobody remembers how it started.
Example numbers only. Done: 36 of 40 pallets loaded. Not done: 4 pallets, because two people were absent and the second forklift was in for repair. Problems: the forklift is still out of service; I need a replacement or extra hands tomorrow. Tomorrow: load the 4 pallets first, then the normal list.
What the full programme covers
This short course gave you the basics of running a shift, talking to your team, having a short performance conversation and reporting. The Management Development Programme goes much further. It is facilitated live on Zoom, not self-paced, and covers:
- Ten modules, including planning and time management, delegation and accountability, decision making and problem solving, and continuous improvement, all well beyond the shift planning covered here.
- Fuller work on feedback, coaching, workplace conflict and performance management.
- A live Zoom session about once a week, of about 60 to 75 minutes, where you practise with a facilitator and get feedback.
- A task in your own workplace for each module, with a manager at your workplace reviewing your evidence.
- A final assessment, an improvement project on a real issue in your workplace, and an MK Global Certificate of Completion. It is a private programme and not an accredited qualification.
See the Management Development Programme, facilitated live on Zoom.
- Talk early and keep it short: private and brief, say what you saw then listen, agree one small next step.
- Stick to what you saw, not what you think of the person.
- For serious problems, follow your company's own policy and ask your manager or HR.
- A daily report has four parts: done, not done and why, problems and needs, tomorrow.
- Report problems as well as good news.