Infographics Archives | Peak Business Navigation

Picking Great Metrics for Your Teams

To set expectations with your teams, a great metric can make all the difference for team members to understand what’s clearly expected of them.

What should we be thinking about when we pick our metrics for our team?

Is the goal achievable? Setting the metrics where you really want to be the first month might not work as well as stepping stones to get there.
Can the team member easily understand the metric? While the Accounting department may understand a labor efficiency percentage, something simpler like parts produced per hour might be better on the shop floor, even if it’s not perfect.
Could the metric lead to unwanted behavior? Parts per hour could lead a plant to make unneeded parts that are the easiest to make. Consider a second metric to balance out potential abuse. On time delivery paired with parts per hour for instance.
How easily can the data for the metric be gathered? Something that can be autogenerated or easily calculated, posted and monitored daily might be better than something more precise that can only be done at month end.

Great teams love to be measured, just be sure choose the right things to put on the scoreboard.

For help with metrics and the data to calculate them, contact us at Peak www.peakbusinessnavigation.com

March 10, 2025/by Ryan Knaack

When It's Not Working With an Employee Infographic

Infographics

How to Fire Someone: When It’s Not Working With a New Employee

We all want to be great leaders, inspiring our teams to reach their full potential.

But what do we do when it’s just not working out with someone, especially earlier in the relationship? Here’s some tips for hopefully figuring it out and then gracefully moving on if necessary.

Make sure we understand why it’s happening. A conversation where we ask “I’ve noticed (insert shortcoming or behavior) happened yesterday as well as the Monday before. Can you help me understand better why that’s happening?”

Make sure there’s been enough of the right training and helpful materials have been provided. Too often, we feel people should be able to come in and “figure it out like we did”. Things are usually not as easy as we think for people to learn, so make sure you design training for someone who knows nothing about your product, service and systems when they start.

Ask yourself if you’re dedicating enough of the right person’s time early on. If the assigned trainer is also a functioning team member and is just as productive as normal the first few weeks with a new employee, chances are they’re not spending enough time with them.

When we discuss shortcomings, focus on the specific behaviors and not personality adjectives. “I noticed it takes 15 minutes for you to enter an order, we find most people can do it in 3 or 4 minutes after a month” works a lot better than “It seems like you’re too slow to keep up with our pace here.”

When it’s clear it’s not working out, be sure to say it. No one should ever be surprised. Written warnings and performance improvement plans aren’t just HR paperwork. They’re a chance to have up front conversations and treat people like human beings with families, house payments and feelings when it’s not working out. They put employees on notice that things aren’t going as they should – if they’re at risk of being let go, be willing to say it. It gives employees a chance to move on under their terms with dignity and pride.

If it keeps happening over and over in the same role, ask yourself if you’re really setting people up for success. Good people can succeed in situations where they’re set up for success. Are you hiring people with too little experience due to budget? Are the tools in place for people to succeed? Is the role and training well designed? It doesn’t just keep happening.

February 24, 2025/by Ryan Knaack