Break your managers out of the comparison trap
"They're just not as good as [name]!"
Line managers who are asked to assess the performance of new hires can tend to reach for comparisons with existing, or former, team members. It is a saboteur of good quality performance conversations with new hires.
Managers instinctively know they shouldn't compare; yet feel they lack data due to the length of time the new starter has been in role.
Engage the power of the 4-box grid
Ask managers to use this grid to map the potential they saw the new starter demonstrate in the recruitment process.
Then ask them to overlay the reality of early performance. It creates an evidence base for the conversation - without a comparison in sight!
Explore the 'whats' and the 'hows':
The 'whats'
The horizontal axis
These are the tasks and responsibilities for the role.
At recruitment stage, the hiring manager will have assessed experience - the greater the experience, the further to the right the new hire's potential will have ranked on this axis.
The 'hows'
The vertical axis
These are the behaviours required for 'organisation fit'.
The more evidence of a 'a good fit' at the recruitment stage, the higher up the new starter's potential will have ranked on this axis.
Then ask these our questions to collapse the comparison trap:
01
To calibrate against potential:
"How does their current output and behaviour align to the indicators of potential for performance that justified the offer?"
02
To assess objectively:
"If we plot them against each 'acceptable' threshold - where is their current performance?
03
To define the delta:
"What actions would move them from their current position toward acceptable performance?"
04
To diagnose the cause:
"What's stopping them from executing those actions?
What could be done to remove those barriers?"
The bottom line
The introduction of the 6 month qualifying period for unfair dismissal protection has shifted the employment law landscape, but the greatest risk is not the legislation itself, it's the psychological shortcut that's the comparison trap.
The 4-box grid moves your managers from intuitive assessment to objective calibration. It manages risk, builds manager confidence and maximises the opportunity for a new starter to meet the performance standard they've been hired to deliver.
...and a final word
This 4-box grid technique features in 10to3's recruitment, performance and probation collection of videos.