Recent Articles from Timothy LaMacchio
Three keys to solving performance problems
Certain words and phrases evoke fear and anxiety in any manager: performance problems, performance reviews, performance plans and performance feedback. Yet understanding, evaluating and changing employee performance are key responsibilities of every manager. No one would disagree – fixing perform...
The all-important internal customer: Part 3
(Editor’s note: This is the last of three parts. Read Part 1 and Part 2.) To build an effective two-way partnership with your internal customers, use these key points to guide your thinking and efforts: 1) The partnership with an internal customer has one purpose — contribute to the business goals. 2) The success of […]
The all-important internal customer: Part 2
(This is the second of three parts. Read Part 1.) Teams and employees may have “the right stuff” — they are knowledgeable, skilled and hardworking. But this is insufficient to meeting key business goals. If these skilled and committed employees work in isolation, or separate, from their internal customers — those dependent on their work […]
What every employee wants
Employees and teams crave direction from their manager. They need a manager to communicate clear and consistent expectations about their work. Without management expectations to direct daily efforts, employees are forced to work blind, guessing about: The purpose of the business Their contribution to business priorities Outcomes or goals they must achieve Best methods and […]
One thing every manager must do
Without asking and answering, “How will the employee or team know they are successful?” managers are unable to define job success. Absent this definition, managers fail to establish employee expectations, goals and direction. To answer this critical success-defining question, managers consider thr...
Four conditions for high performance
Imagine a consultant spending one hour with your team to discuss a single question, “What does your manager expect of you?” Would the consultant see blank faces? Would they receive a flood of, “I don’t know?” Would employees provide vague and hesitant responses such as, “customer service” or “re...
Conditions of job success — up close
With the performance-influencing conditions as a guide, improving performance is no longer a mystery. Your efforts can target what is most needed and creates the greatest impact --- environmental conditions. Whether improving your personal performance or your team’s performance --- change the en...
The conditions of job success — and failure
Look back over your career. Different companies. Different managers. Different roles. Different responsibilities. Different projects. Different goals. Using this career review, identity two different situations or outcomes. In one situation you were successful --- a star employee. In anoth...