It Is Ok Not to Be Perfect? Research Paper Example

Debra might have noticed the following warning signs that her goals for her own performance were unrealistically high:

Depression – Is a medical symptom often induced by stress. Rather than examine the cause she opted to step up the stress level by working even harder and longer hours.  She recognized this too late and ultimately this resulted in her quitting the job.

Peer Group – She opted to outperform her peer group as opposed to trying to develop more of a teamwork relationship with them.  Human nature is to feel challenged in such a situation and this often leads to isolation of the individual.  In worst case scenarios she would be viewed as not a “team player” and would observe body language and potential plotting of her demise.

Unobtainable goals – Early examination of the goals to ensure that they were realistic and not idealistic goals.  Giving your self unobtainable goals is egotistical and tantamount to setting yourself up for failure.  Your opponents will recognize this and fully exploit the situation.

You should handle your mistakes with a degree of transparency and honesty. People will respect you if you are forthright about them and are prepared to learn from same.  You should not blame others for your mistakes or use your position to side step them. Admitting your errors is not a sign of weakness. It take a person of character and substance to admit failure and learn from mistakes.  We are all human and as such prone to error at times.

It can be extremely difficult to work for a perfectionist. This would create a different action and response from different people, consider:

1. Debra Finley’s Supervisor: You are setting the bar too high, not only for yourself but for the expectations of your Department. This equally will have an adverse impact on the organization and the morale of the staff.  People do not want to work towards idealistic goals and targets – it is important that they achieve targets and receive recognition for doing so.
2. Debra Finley’s Colleagues: Your own personal goals and ambitions are not attainable for the rest of us. We are not able to achieve your expectations and as such this is creating tension, stress and low morale in the Department.  We all make mistakes and it is from this that we learn and grow. A zero tolerance policy in this regard is bound to fail.
3. Debra Finley’s Employees: You have created a culture of fear in the department where we are all afraid of making any mistakes. Equally the targets set seem unattainable and have no measurement criteria.  We seemed doomed to failure and are missing the motivational leadership that will build us as a successful team.  Consider Herzberg’s viewpoint ” We have basic needs (hygiene needs) which, when not met, cause us to be dissatisfied. Meeting these needs does not make us satisfied — it merely prevents us from becoming dissatisfied.” (changing minds.org, 2010).

Where a Supervisor is involved with a major change programme, re-aligning business work units, changing established work teams, it is important to : (i) Fully communicate such changes ahead of time and outline the Company goals and objectives for this (ii) Establish rapport and inclusion with the workers making them feel an integral part of the change and vital contributors to the success of this change (iii) Seek contribution and ideas from the workforce on how such a transitionery change would run smoothly both for the workforce and the organization.

By adopting the Myers Briggs approach you are in a position to take a quick determination of the Change Condition and gain an early understanding  of the profile of change taking place.  As a Project Manager this places you in a stronger position to determine the response to change and documenting the change condition moving forward.

“Only 15% achieve their objectives.  Another 20% rarely deemed to be satisfactory.  What a solid 65%, to meet the objectives. ” Advance planning and stakeholder management will avoid most pitfalls”

A  The value of a job description in the employment process  may be defined as ” Employee job descriptions are written statements that describe the duties, responsibilities, required qualifications, and reporting relationships of a particular job. Employee job descriptions are based on objective information obtained through job analysis, an understanding of the competencies and skills required to accomplish needed tasks, and the needs of the organization to produce work.”  (Heathfield, 2010).  The legal requirements have required Employers to become much more aware of their role and respobnsiblities in the hiring and selection process. Consider the American Disabilities Act (1990) ” The ADA specifically states: No covered entity shall discriminate against a qualified individual with a disability because of the disability of such individual in regard to job application procedures, the hiring, advancement, or discharge of employees, employee compensation, job training, and other terms, conditions, and privileges of employment.”  (hr guide.com , 1999). Other important legislation relates to that of ” The Fair Labour Standards Act (FLSA) prescribes standards for wages and overtime pay, which affect most private and public employment.”  (US Department of Labour, 2010).

As the US builds its way out of recession it will impact the importance of some of the rankings specified.  Leadership will be extremely important to deal with the many challenges and issued faced in the financial sector and the recession.  This also has a direct correlation to team building and group dynamics for the successful organization.  The concept of business transformation and change will rank high as we deal with both aspects of the global economy and new technology / innovation.

As a new employee one of the most valued items would be performance management and appraisals. A clear definition of roles and responsibilities together with achievable targets.

As an employee with 3-5 years of track record I would be interested in the concept of managing change and dealing with business transformation issues.

The following items are best practice items for structuring a performance appraisel process:

• Clearly established expectations of the job
• Training Needs Analysis
• Adequate tools for the job
• Adequate environment / climate for the job
• Proper job description with achievable objectives
• Follow a cyclical plan
• Review, Plan, Develop, Perform, Assess

Works Cited

Changing minds.org. (2010). Herzberg’s Motivation-Hygiene Theory. Retrieved 7 5, 2010, from changing minds.org:http://changingminds.org/explanations/needs/herzberg_needs.htm

Heathfield, S. M. (2010). Employee Job Descriptions: Why Job Descriptions Make Good Business Sense. Retrieved 7 5, 2010, from About.com: http://humanresources.about.com/od/glossaryj/a/jobdescriptions.htm

hr guide.com . (1999). Impact of the Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures. Retrieved 7 5, 2010, from HR Guide to the Internet:: http://www.job-analysis.net/G002.htm

Palmer, J. (2010, 1 4). Change Management in Practice: Why Does Change Fail? Retrieved 2 24, 2010, from Project Smart.co.uk: http://www.projectsmart.co.uk/change-management-in-practice.html

US Department of Labour. (2010). US Department of Labour. Retrieved 7 5, 2010, from Summary of the Major Laws of the Department of Labor : http://www.dol.gov/opa/aboutdol/lawsprog.htm