517: How to Define a Role, with Pat Griffin

Mar 15, 2021

In this engaging discussion, Pat Griffin, a Dale Carnegie Master Trainer and Chief Relationship Officer, shares insights from nearly two decades of experience in people transformation. He emphasizes the need to shift from traditional job descriptions to Performance Results Descriptions (PRD), which focus on measurable outcomes. Pat outlines how aligning employees on key results enhances engagement and accountability. He also highlights the importance of establishing clear performance standards and maintaining open communication to foster team success and professional development.

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ADVICE

Focus on Outcomes

Define roles with a Performance Results Description, focusing on outcomes, not just activities.
This clarifies expectations and facilitates better performance management.

INSIGHT

Outcome-Based Empowerment

Shifting from activities to outcomes empowers employees to innovate and improve.
It fosters a sense of ownership and encourages them to find more effective ways to work.

ADVICE

PRD Structure

Create a Performance Results Description (PRD) with Key Result Areas (KRAs) and performance standards.
Use metrics to track outcomes, writing standards as if looking back from the future.

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Pat Griffin: Dale Carnegie Pat has been actively engaged in helping organizations achieve greater success through the transformation of their people for almost two decades. He is a Dale Carnegie Master Trainer who helps organizations deliver measurable impact on strategic initiatives. Pat has extensive experience with manufacturing and engineering firms due to his previous career in those industries. He helps leaders zero in on process improvement and how the human side of that effort plays a significant role in its success or failure. Today he's Chief Relationship Officer at Dale Carnegie of Western New York. In this conversation, Pat and I discuss how managers can get alignment with employees about the key outcomes of their jobs. Pat invites us to create a Performance Results Description document, align with employees on the results, and then use it for tracking ongoing. Done well, this allows managers to influence better outcomes and provides more clarity for employees on where to place effort for results. Key Points Move past conversations about simply activities and towards conversations about outcomes. Documenting performance management helps create clarity for all parties on the results that are most critical. Managers and employees should work together to create a Performance Results Description (PRD) that captures the ideal results of the role. Within the PRD, Pat suggests that we identify 5-6 Key Result Areas (KRAs) and prioritize them. Example key result areas could be: quality control, new business development, cost analysis, customer evaluations, staffing, etc. Each Key Result Area (KRA) has at least one, and often more than one, performance standard. This is where specific metrics for outcomes can be tracked. An example is: “25% of sales revenue this year was generated from new customer accounts.” Example section of a Performance Results Description (PRD): Key Result Area (KRA): Staffing Performance Standard #1: 25% of external applicants this year self-identify into an underrepresented group, as defined by our companies diversity and inclusion initiative. Performance Standard #2: Two thirds of open requisitions assigned this year are filled within 90 days of posting. Performance Standard #3: Recruiting events are scheduled with at least two universities this year where existing partnerships were not already in place. Resources Mentioned Dale Carnegie Friday workshop series Related Episodes Three Steps to Great Career Conversations, with Russ Laraway (episode 370) Effective Delegation of Authority, with Hassan Osman (episode 413) How to Balance Care and Accountability When Leading Remotely, with Jonathan Raymond (episode 464) Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.