Performance Appraisal and Problem Employees

Prior to class I assumed we would talk about how to conduct an appraisal interview or how to handle the discussion once there. I also thought we would talk about how to deal with difficult employees- how to help them improve as well as when to cut them loose!

I was glad we talked about the broken appraisal system. I took an HR class over the summer, and the chapter about performance appraisals floored me because the recommended system was so far from what I have experienced. I definitely agree that rather than a once a year sit down meeting, performance appraisal should happen on an ongoing basis. When it came to difficult employees, I learned that the fact they are difficult may be more of a perception than reality. People are different. As long as we can figure out how to help them achieve common goals, most people should be able to work together and that diversity could turn out to be an asset.

This class is making me want to be a manager more and more. I think that I could really help others grow together as a team and focus on positive attributes. Although I may not ever (or at least in the near future) have the opportunity to fill such a role, I can continue to plan for how I will be successful if I do. Also, as a staff nurse I will also have chances to help encourage and support people who are difficult, as well as giving honest feedback to my peers in a respectful way.

I have been thinking about the fact that many difficult people don't realize that they are difficult or think that it is normal. I wonder if it would be helpful to find a way to look at ourselves and see if we are difficult and could stand to change a little. I liked the thought that dealing with difficult people is about understanding them as well as understanding ourselves. I think it would have been interesting to talk more about that aspect. Not just defining ourselves, but utilizing the strengths that come with our personalities as well as understanding our drawbacks and being more cognizant of how others may perceive us.

Team Building

Prior to class I didn't know what to expect. I was a little concerned about what might be required considering the knowledge that we were going to be outside and "get dirty." I thought we might have a long, grueling obstacle course that included rolling in puddles of mud and climbing up walls (actually, not quite that extensive). I was too curious about what we were doing outside to even pay attention to the topic for th week.

I actually did learn a few things. I have participated in similar activites in the past, but was able to see things a little differently. It was interesting to see that some people took the challenges seriously, and others just wanted to go through the motions and either just get it done or try to skip it entirely. However, with every level of enthusiasm we were still able to get through all the challenges. Any team in the workplace is likely to be the same. Some people will hand you a calculator when they want you to check their insulin, and others yell across the room that they are giving X number of units. Some refuse to give a bed bath because they're not a tech anymore, and others offer oral hygeine to all their patients. I think team building has a lot to do with encouraging and stepping in to help those that are a little less excited. It is especially important in nursing because we are taking care of other people and the stakes are so high.

In my nursing practice I plan to be more aware of those who need an extra push to get all the way around the corners. It really does impact the whole team when one person doesn't want to do things right. But I have a better perspetive of that and will step in to help motivate those who aren't being as safe as they need to be.

For the most part I feel like the activities were fun and did help to increase a sense of teamwork. We did have a good team that was willing to work well together, try something new when needed, and didn't stop to argue over anything. We just went ahead and did it. It was fun to be a part of a group that did work well together. I think the whole day would have made me upset if I had a team that fought over how to do things. My favorite part was that we allowed different people to come out as leaders in the different activities. It was nice that we were able to utilize everyone's strengths and build the whole team that way.

I think one of the things I took away from the activities was a stronger realization of how different everyone is. Despite differences, we can all work together and enjoy being together. Our class has a lot of varied opinions. Yet we are still able to be randomly assigned into groups and work very well together. I wish that more people in the world were like that. Too many people get angry or offended at differences. We would all have a much better time sharing the planet if we would just allow each other to be different instead of trying to make everyone else like ourselves. In fact, it's better that way.

Leadership

Prior to reviewing the lecture notes I expected to learn that leaders are much more than managers. That it takes skill to manage people, but even more talent and skill to really lead them. I expected that we would focus more on character traits like the ability to motivate others, rather than simply mundane how-to's of paperwork and organization, etc.

There were a few things that stuck out to me from the lecture. First, the decision making model was very interesting to me. I have usually thought about improvement as identifying the problems and fixing them. But to take a step back and first look at what the overall goal should be I think would really help to improve an organization. By first recognizing what the objectives are, problems can be more easily identified and prioritized when making a plan for improvement.

I also appreciate the thought of learning to use the tools we've been given rather than knowing all the information. Being able to figure things out through experience and basic knowledge as well as utilizing resources is a great skill to have. A nurse who memorized all their textbooks may not be as effective as someone who knows how to critically think. I appreciated that.

Another thing I learned was that some people accept and promote "nursing expertise, and the values and preferences of individuals, families and communities who are served" along with evidence-based practice. I have felt at times that relying solely on the scientific studies do individuals a disservice in many instances. I liked thinking of evidence-based practice in the context of both the literature and personal values and expertise.

Lastly, I was reminded that good leaders do not have to be in official jobs in order to make a difference. I loved the point that leaders can sometimes be very "pesky" to managers. I appreciated this a lot because I have worked for a lot of really bad managers! Sometimes it is the responsibility of those underneath the manager to take on that leadership role and make important changes that the manager may ignore.

I think this information will empower me to trust myself more. If I want to be a leader wherever I work, I know that I should be goal oriented, innovative, and trusting of my own expertise. Some of these things I have wondered if they were ok for me to do or think. Now I can say that I learned that it was ok from nursing school!

Personally I thought the information was very interesting. Like I said before, I have been subject to a lot of really bad managers (not necessarily my most recent manager...). I think that there were ways that I could have helped improve some things if I were a good leader and helped motivate people, instead of sulking and complaining at home or taking things personally. I think my takeaway is that I have control and that being positive and helpful rather than negative and argumentative will help me make a difference.

HIring

Before class I expected to learn about some of the HR logistics behind hiring. What to look for in a resume, how to determine who to bring in to interview. I also expected to talk about how to decide which candidate would be the best choice to hire. 

In class we focused on the interview. Just thinking more about the interviewer side helped to learn about what to look for. It was interesting rating both the interveiwers and seeing the scores that I gave to them. I gave Joe a score that was higher than Kristen's, but my overall feelings about his interview weren't necessarily better. I was able to see some things that I appreciated and others that I wouldn't personally do. I really enjoyed talking about specific questions and good and bad ways to answer them. I wish we had talked more about whether a brown probe was a good or bad choice...

Because I am not currently working but would like to find a job in Philadelphia some time in the near future, this will most likely help me with interviews for jobs. I feel like I would know a little better what to expect and be able to handle what they throw at me. Hopefully at some point in the future I will also be able to sit on hiring committees and use some skills there as well.

My personal feelings about what we covered are mixed. I understand that the interview process is what the majority of employers use to select who they will hire. The entire class I couldn't help but think about an experience that I had on PCU. I sat in on interviews for two potential techs. After the interviews it was absolutely clear which candidate had the better interview. She answered the questions and was able to show herself in a positive light through her experiences. The other was vague and sometimes didn't really answer the questions completely. In the end, both techs were hired. After working with both of them, I found that the one who had an amazing interview was an average employee. The one with an average interview was the best tech I ever worked with. She later became a nurse, and was one of the best new-grad nurses I have seen. I have often looked back on that experience and wondered how I ever would have picked up on that in the interview.

Although learning about how interviews are currently done is very interesting and helpful in finding a job, I wonder if there is more we could learn about from the other side. I liked that we talked about knowing what we are looking for when asking the questions, but some people just aren't as good in an interview setting as they would be on the job. I think it does a disservice to have this as the main measure for who is hired and who is not.