In modern workplaces it is common for employees to have their performance measured and monitored by both managers and colleagues. It’s normal to align performance with pay too. Far less common is the practice of measuring and publishing the performance of senior managers. This is a practice that inspirational leaders like Ricardo Semler would sponsor and its an attitude, a corporate modus operandi, that can prevent poor performance in the top team by surfacing issues resulting from poor management practices and sub-optimal decision making skills.

Why measure the Senior Management Team (SMT)?

Ricardo Semler once stated “Growth and profit are a product of how people work together….” Therefore, highly effective senior managers are the key to successful, profitable businesses. It is the task of the SMT to formulate strategy and to communicate this clearly. Strategy must be converted into action by the SMT so that staff members understand how their work helps their company meet clearly understood targets and goals.

SMT staff must communicate what is needed and by when. Note this doesn’t mean staff should be told how a task must to be achieved! There is no place for switherers, ditherers, muddle-heads and procrastinators in the SMT. Policemen style managers are not helpful either. Have you ever experienced the frustration of working with a manager whose sole purpose in life is to apply corporate rules and to book anyone found transgressing? You know the type: they focus on time, attendance and other minutiae. Of course it’s important to maintain a level of discipline, so let HR take care of that stuff.

Why measure the SMT? Because their performance means the difference between life and death of any company. The SMT must set direction, pace, tone and priorities, it is a collection of leaders not managers! And who better to measure them than their staff.

How to measure the performance of the SMT?

Using the SMT attributes list below, have each member of staff rate each member of the SMT. I’d recommend a scale of 6 to 1, where 6 is excellent and 1 is rubbish. Make the review process anonymous — this is essential. Perhaps use an external service such as survey monkey. Gather the data and publish the results!

SMT attributes

Ambition
Approachable
Assertive
Business acumen
Compassion
Composure
Control skills
Creativity
Customer focus
Decision quality
Dependable
Delegation
Fair
Fun to work with
Good listener
Helpful
Humble
Humor
Imaginative
Interpersonal skills
Keeps up-to-date
Knowledgeable
Listening skills
Managerial courage
Managing diversity
Motivating others
Negotiating
Organising
Patient
Perseverance
Perspective
Planning
Presentation skills
Priority setting
Problem solver
Punctual
Self knowledge
Shares ideas
Ability to size up people
Strategic agility
Supportive
Technical skills
Trusted
Understanding others

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit”. — Aristotle