Performance Coaching in a Diverse Workforce

How to avoid the most common "diversity traps" while Solving Performance Problems

Managers have always disliked talking with employees about performance problems. Now that most organizations have become far more diverse and the lines between "performance problems" and "diversity problems" have become far more subtle, a lack of skill in this area can damage morale and/or lower engagement and productivity or even cause complaints of discrimination. In these conversations, managers often say the wrong things and offend employees or begin to "walk on egg shells", avoiding the conversations altogether, opting to live with lowered performance.

The workshop sets the performance coaching conversation into a context that helps managers clearly identify performance problems and facilitates the search for the underlying causes of poor performance. Using the Simmons Quadrants Feedback Matrix™, participants will easily determine the difference between a diversity problem and a performance problem, enabling them to discuss these with employees confidently, knowing that the wrong thing will not be said.

Key Objectives – Participants will:

• Troubleshoot their personal approach to identifying and expressing performance problems.
• Find out why employees who are "diverse" (age group, gender, race/ethnicity, culture, etc.) may perceive biases in how their performance is managed.
• Practice new skills in preparation for real-world application.
• Prepare materials and plan meetings in which managers and associates enhance communication skills, identify and address biases, and effectively collaborate to achieve business goals.