1. Conduct a web search for "staff performance measures".

2. Write down the key words you find evident in the research of what are the areas of acceptable standards.

3. Make a grading system of A, B, C, F

4. Perform a self evaluation of your organization on providing a framework for these essential elements.

5. How are you doing on the those elements?

6. You can draw a line to graph the results. All "A"s is what is expected (not that anyone or any organization are perfect).

7. We can send you an excel template to illustrate the example.

8. When you average your team's evaluation, that's the NORM.

9. How will you strategically plan to improve priority areas? What's the time line? How will you measure? etc.

10. NORM lines traditionally slide away from the expected marks. So doing nothing is tragic.

	What if you had a job description that was built around the requirements of not only seeing the organization succeed, but your staff also? How up-to-date are your job descriptions? Do they reflect the realistic but challenging standards that creates a win-win scenario? Do they reflect the status of industry standards? Are they presented as various levels to create a system of growth and achievement?

 "What often happens is that we have standards. Then the "status quo"  lowers the line. Then without accountability, the line keeps in a downwad track pattern. You know what happens next..."

Consistency is essential in standards.

Your program should be manageable, marketable, measurable.

Too often staff, divisions and sometimes the whole agency may lower the prescribed performance level and settle for the NORM. 

It takes an organization with the reality check to participate to see if this desensitized state exists.

In your efforts to maximize the staff performance, organizations should have clear and consistent job descriptions, evaluations and performance plans as a priority.

It's true that in our busy work lives we may diminish the impact practicing the concept of breaking the NORM.

But haven't we seen the negative consequences of neglect, denial and procrastination?

It's a common "joke" to express that our jobs would be great if we didn't have to deal with paperwork and/or people.

This subject deals with both.

Let's review some common best practices in our intent to provide solutions!

How many documents are required to give to your new staff person?

Human resources manual, job description, performance evaluation, policies, procedures, best practices, desk reference tools, update to edition 1A, local board requirements, state regs, federal expectations, the real way to do your job, etc.....

How can you streamline this?

This section's assessment is included in your survey the staff completes. Measuring their attitudes, thoughts and feelings is critical in order to determine the realities of your agency. 

When I served in the Navy, having NORM sailors was not acceptable. There was too much on the line to allow disregarding of standards of performance, job description, duties, responsibilities.

Everyone was measured to the standard, not the NORM. 

I knew exactly what the standard consisted of (and averaged 3.9+ out of 4.0).

You can't expect what you can't inspect...how do you apply this in your organization?

How do you design the quarterly reviews without making it a "oh great, I HAVE TO DO THIS YESTERDAY!" event?

Defining your employees' performance standards is based on many factors: job expectations, skill level, area of expertise and aptitude.

Your performance management system will benefit greatly if you define specific performance standards for each job group and communicate those standards to employees on an individual basis.

The U.S. Office of Personnel Management defines performance standards as, "Management approved expressions of the performance threshold(s), requirement(s), or expectation(s) that employees must meet to be appraised at particular levels of performance."