Cultivatingperformance takes shape when we provide experiences for all peopleto feel valued, accepted, fulfilled, connected and engaged at work.(Photo: Shutterstock)

Recently my company worked with Jason Lauritsen,industry-renowned employee engagement thought leader, to exploreideas from his new book, Unlocking High Performance. One of the conceptsthat really stood out during our time together was that of“cultivating” employees to drive their growth.

According to Lauritsen, “There are powerful lessons we can learnfrom cultivation about how to unlock human potential andperformance in the workplace. While humans are certainly morecomplex than plants, the mindset of cultivation is just asrelevant. Humans, perhaps more than any other living thing, aregenetically hardwired for growth and performance. It's natural tous. It's our default setting.”

Related: People, processes and culture: The most importantparts of a business

As Lauritsen explains, the key to cultivating a healthy crop isto prepare the environment before anything is planted. That meanstilling the soil, adding in compost and mixing it all together verywell. If a farmer skips this step, it can be costly.

We must apply a similar approach if we're going to fix performance management in 2019. I've talked tomany organizations where they have adopted more frequentperformance reviews, even abandoned ratings and they are findingnot everyone loves the changes. That's because the process ismissing the vital step of setting the right conditions to cultivateperformance. So how can HR pros effectively help employees bloomwithin their organizations?

Lay of the land

Simply put, traditional performance management processes arebroken. Recent research from the Corporate Executive Board revealsthat a whopping 95 percent of managers report feeling dissatisfiedwith the way their companies conduct performance reviews, and 90percent of HR leaders say the process doesn't even yield accurateinformation. And only 14 percent of employees strongly agree thatthe performance reviews they receive inspire them to improve.That's hardly an environment that's growth oriented!

Sure, some progress has been made. SMART goals, KPIs, peerfeedback and self-review functions and more frequent “check-in”conversations are all steps in the right direction to fosteringgrowth, and yet something is still missing.

A work experience that motivates

Motivation is the heart of cultivating performance. Ideally, wewant to our people to perform because they want to put in theirbest efforts and not because we tell them they have to! So what aresome ways we can infuse motivation into an employee's workexperience?

We need to create experiences and design opportunities intoemployees' daily work lives for them to get what they want out oftheir work relationships and set them up for success when it comesto their performance. These includes work that's individualized totheir natural talents, performance needs and sense of purpose. Theyshould also have opportunities to learn and grow, with career advancement as they develop. People alsowant clear expectations that connect their work to organizationalpriorities, provide focus and describe exactly what success lookslike.

​Collaborative goal setting

We often think of goals as the center of a solid performancemanagement system because they clearly articulate employers'expectations. But go a step further: when we set goalscollaboratively with employees, we also initiate opportunities tothink about what motivates us as individuals, and structure thoseperformance expectations in a way that taps into employees'personal motivators. ​A collaborative approach to goal settinggives managers greater insight into how to leverage an employee'sstrengths and motivators to help them reach their goals.​ And itensures that employees have a voice in setting performanceexpectations that are fair, relevant and motivating. ​

Filling employees' “love buckets”

It's no secret that many people who quit their jobs do so as aresult of lack of appreciation, whether real or perceived.Most managers, leaders and organizations really struggle tosuccessfully provide a culture of appreciation and recognition.Many recognition programs overlook and ignore effort, focusingattention only on the highest and lowest performers. Since mostemployees are average, by definition, this leaves mostfeeling unseen in their role.

Cultivating performance takes shape when we provide experiencesfor all people to feel valued, accepted, fulfilled, connected andengaged at work. And appreciation and recognition for ourcontributions is key to this! ​Work begins to feel less like acontract and more like a healthy relationship, one in which:

• Everyone's contributions and presence are valued​
• People's unique experience, perception and ideas areaccepted​
• The team is all connected to the work they are doing and thepeople they do it with

Every seed is different

How we cultivate performance on an ongoing basis can really helpdrive these positive experiences that foster employee growth andhelp them “feel the love.” Feedback and recognition is mostimpactful when it is multi-sourced—meaning that praise comes frommultiple sources as multiple times. And real-time feedback is thegold standard to ensure impact.

It's also important that rewards and feedback areindividualized. Learn how people like to be recognized and howreceptive they are to constructive feedback. What is right for oneemployee may turn another off entirely. For employees to feelappreciated and recognized does not necessarily mean huge bonuses,or being called out in front of the next organization town hall,but it might be a thank you in the hallway, between a manager andemployee at their next 1:1 or between a members who delivered asuccessful service to a client.

Removing obstacles

Another element of cultivation is removing career obstacles togrowth. Seeds by their very nature and DNA are hardwired toperform. And really, so are people. Our job as leaders is toprovide the optimal performance “conditions” and sometimes thisinvolves pulling the weeds and removing the obstacles that can getin the way of performance. Lack of tools, lack of resources, lackof time or support, interpersonal conflict… all of these can bebarriers to employees achieving their best.

One of the most effective ways of addressing and removingobstacles is to identify their very existence in the first place.That's why 1:1 meetings and ongoing communications / check-ins areso important. And employee pulse surveys are another great way toget employee feedback on systemic obstacles in the workplace. Butremember: it's important that when you identify an obstacle with anemployee – you do something about it and follow up!

Cultivate performance and watch the growth happen

Helping employees uniquely grow within organizations might beone of the greatest missed opportunities for leaders and managers,but modern, ongoing performance management systems and processescan set the stage for employee cultivation. Shifting yourorganization to a cultivation mindset can completely transformemployee experience and employee performance. Workplacegoal-setting and recognition motivates, provides a sense ofaccomplishment and makes employees feel valued for their work.Enabling manager to support employee growth and performance withpractice tools and resources can help cultivate high performance.And that simply helps everything grow.

Anita Bowness is principal product managerat SabaSoftware. She draws on over 20 years'experience in consulting and professional services to help HRleaders recruit, engage, develop and retain their talent. Anitaloves helping organizations manage performance so people are moreengaged, happier and productive.

Read more:

• Employee engagement can drive confidence andsuccess
• Is effective employee recognition part of yourbusiness plan this year?
• How to retain good employees? Make them feelvalued.​ ​