Managing Performance Issues – By Saul Selby

Brainstorm these two questions

  • What makes an effective clinical leader?
  • What makes a clinical leader ineffective?

Two Areas to Consider:

  • How do we prevent performance issues?
  • How do we manage performance issues?

Learning from previous leaders

  • What you liked about
  • What you didn’t like

How to Prevent Them

  • Explore hiring practices
  • Explore retention practices for good employees
  • Explore clear expectations of key performance issues

Hiring Practices:

  • Internships
  • Screening potential hires.
  • Probation Period – clear expectations of performance & regular supervision

Retention – “People don’t work for agencies they work for people”

  • Do employees like working for the agency
  • Do they like working for you
  • Are your systems healthy or unhealthy?

What competencies do LADC’s need to have?

  • People skills – to work well with clients, other staff, and outside agencies
  • Computer skills – to manage file work.
  • Technical knowledge – of what clinical interventions work.
  • Organizational skills – to insure things get done in a timely and are compliant with agency expectations of case management and documentation.
  • Ethical Competency – understanding and complying with understood the field’s expectations regarding ethical behavior. Informed Consent, Conflict of Interests, Dual Relationships (this is huge!!!!)
  • Review MNTC LADC Self-Assessment Form

Hiring Practices

  • Know what qualities you value.
  • Review Core Competency Self-Assessment
  • Get as much information about the applicant as possible
  • Screening potential applicants as best you can.
  • Clearly communicating expectations of desired skills
  • Creating development plans for deficient areas.

Self-Assessment as a Leader

  • Character flaws and strengths
  • Searching and fearless inventory
  • Review Supervisor Self-Assessment

How to Create Rapport with staff (brainstorm)

  • Affirm strengths.
  • Normalize developmental areas that are not
  • Respect them as a person.
  • Be consistent with all staff
  • Be sure communication is clear and adequate
  • Utilize motivational approaches when dealing with mistakes
  • Have fun, when appropriate.

Being promoted from line staff to Supervisor

  • How will co-workers react to you?
  • How will you respond to them?
  • Do some staff feel they should have gotten the position?

Administering Discipline

  • Have thorough investigation
  • Get staffs perspective
  • Evaluate if staff views it as a problem

Disciplinary Meeting

  • Consider consulting with HR or Supervisor in advance
  • Know the purpose of disciplinary meeting – to give the person the opportunity to change before there are more serious consequences
  • Be clear and specific about performance issues using examples or data.
  • Help the staff understand the importance and context of the issue being addressed – how it impacts clients or the agency.
  • Specify changes expected as well as timelines.
  • Provide support; affirm strengths and values of employee.
  • Be consistent with all staff, don’t play favorites.
  • Monitor changes and give staff feedback about both positive and negative changes.