Powerpoint from Mary Bushing's Session about Evaluations, 2010 Fall Workshop, Great Falls, MT

1. Putting the “Value” back in Evaluations: Reflecting Together on Mission & Goals

2. Why bother anyway? Because feedback really matters! It can be: Positive = Reinforcement - results in further improvement Negative = Punishment - might result in improvement None = Extinction & is least motivating response you can give. When there is no feedback, the bad get worse, the mediocre move towards bad & the good get mediocre. The total group performance gradually moves downwards. So it is up to us to find ways to infuse more meaningful feedback into the organization.

3. What we know about success: Three key reasons for success of first born child: Expectations are higher & clearer Given more responsibility & at an earlier age Given more feedback, attention, encouragement We can use these insights to achieve success for group & individuals in other situations. Have high expectations for group as whole as well as for individuals. A “we can do it” attitude. Give more responsibility to each individual. Make each feel essential to the organization’s success. Give more feedback: positive or negative. Not giving feedback is leaving people uncertain & insecure.

5. While forms & processes are often enlightened by some of the best in human resource management theory, the practice continues to be overshadowed by fear of reprisal for actually telling someone the truth.

6. Time consuming, brain-deadening & depressing operations for all concerned.

7. They are more about complying with bureaucratic “cover our butts” thinking than about actual quality assurance for the organization.

9. Being focused on our goals We might review our strategic plan, our mission, our current goals, and current imperatives or pressures – all or one of these. We should think in terms not so much of “physical projects” as basic organizational & individual growth and improved performance. Some possible topics that come to mind: Improving how we work together in meetings Improving our customer service responses Learning how to be more flexible in our learning styles Improving efficiency & processes: one a day for 40 days!

11. What needs to happen next? Think in terms of organizational culture, values, personal growth. The big picture. Prioritize & select a few key ideas to explore.

12. What will it take to make that happen (resources)?

13. What has to change?

14. How do we as a group accomplish this?

15. How might I as an individual contribute to accomplishing this?

16. How will we judge results?

19. They might identify what are the top few issues to explore (but not the solutions).

20. Staff & board can be involved in ranking or prioritizing those issues or even adding to or clarifying them.

21. Then it is time to explore the “how” and the “what” of the one to tackle including what will success look like.

22. The goal or project needs to be clear.

23. Individuals need to commit to what they will contribute (individual coaching may be involved to get the focus for some).

25. Have the board do their thing & then the staff does theirs

26. You do a “staff-up” approach

27. Hold small & focused community focus groups to identify what most needs improving or . . . ?

28. Take anonymous suggestions from individual staff or board members to begin

30. Naming it! The “project” might be stated as a slogan, a clear idea, a concept, a specific goal. Whatever fits the situation. It can be a 4 month thing, a 12 month thing . . . Whatever length of time is appropriate to set for “this” to be accomplished or fulfilled. It can be an “in house” project or one that gets publicity. Sample titles: “Learning to learn better” an initiative for staff & board “Allen Library’s Effective Meetings Mission” “Making internal customers happy” “Forty work efficiencies in 40 days!”

32. Follow-through says more about relevance than any rhetoric.

34. Optimism about the goal, the plan & the ability of the organization & the individuals to be successful is the leaders job for today and throughout the project.

35. Communication/feedback/encouragement is essential as with any project.

37. Be creative and use common sense.

38. So what if no one has ever done anything like this – we could try it anyway.

39. Bounce ideas off of someone outside the organization (who understands a bit about people & organizations)

40. Think it through.

41. Briefly identify the weak points, the worst case issues of your plan at each step.

42. Do it! Doing something is always better than doing nothing!

44. Set up review of success for org, work groups, & individuals. Some aspects of review/evaluation might be shared with all or only big picture. Depends.

45. Celebrate success appropriately.

46. Identify what, if anything, still needs to be done & make that another project or deal with it some way but do not just sweep it under the rug!

47. Give out pats on the back, real rewards, memos in files, or whatever is appropriate to acknowledge success, progress, growth.

48. Give coaching, specific goals for improvement, or memos in files to those whose efforts did not measure up.

50. What ideas did you have . . . About a potential initiative topic for your library? About how you/your library might improve feedback to individuals regarding performance? About being evaluated on how you contribute to a single project or initiative at a time? About finding ways to do quick “one topic” evaluations of performance in addition to annual reviews about everything at once?

51. Thanks for sharing . . . Dr. Mary C. Bushing Library Consultant & Educator Bozeman, MT 59715 marying@msn.com 406-587-4742