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Show Ds ___The Salt Lake Tribune BUSINESS Wed , December2, 1998 CENTERPIECE Fresh Approach to Performance Reviews Bosses motivate employeesby listening, learning and guiding them to a mutually agreed-upon plan Rubbermaid Recalling BY HAL LANCASTER ‘THE WALL STREET JOURNAL Icy Rider Toboggans WOOSTER, Ohio — Rubbermaid Ine. is recalling about 60,800 toboggans because they can break apart, causing loss of control and injury. The home products company said Tuesdayit is working with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commissionto recall the “Iey Rider Toboggans.” The companysaid it was aware of six reports of the fronts of the toboggans breaking off, resulting in twoinjuries. An adult suffered a broken leg and a 4-year-old girl P.J. Smoot, learning and development leader in International Paper's Memphis, Tenn., office, doesn’t think it has to be that way. The ations, Rubbermaid said. Consumers should stop using the toboggans and call Rubbermaid toll-free at (888) 567-2112 to get a replacement. They also can contact waythrough the big paper-products company The concept: Let the employees review themselves. Passing judgment on everything done byevery subordinate, she contends, is an impossi- ance mechanism kick in? It’s time for performance reviews, and you'd rather not. I'm notreferringto the receivers — we cov- ered those folks last year — butthe givers of these annual appraisals. Giving reviews that motivate and improve performanceis a critical role in any manager's career. And while most of your suffering subordinates might not believeit, the process can truly be as hard on youasit is on them suffered facial bruises and lacer- revamped process she devised is makingits ble task. The real job of managersis to listen and learn from their employees, and then, by Rubbermaid through its Website at www.rubbermaid.com. asking questions, guide them to a mutually agreed-upon performanceplan for the coming Swallowing New Penny Can Give a Kid an Ulcer year. This concept, while still the exception at most companies, isn’t new. James E. Sauter child whoswallows a new pen- devised a similar process while CEO of a news- paperpublishing companyin the "70s. His rad- ny can develop a bleeding ulcer, ical plan eschewed the use of review forms. Electro-Mechanical Corp. is also moving in this direction, says Roger Leonard, a general manager at the small Bristol, Va., electricalequipment manufacturer. All three managers sketched out their re- says a study out Monday by the ConsumerProduct Safety Commis- sion. The commission says children made 21,000trips to U.S. emergency rooms in 1997 because they had view philosophies in comments theysent after swallowedcoins. Doctors generally tell parents not to worry: Most last year’s column. Smootsees the year-end review as a conge- coins pass through the digestive nial project report by the employee on her tract in a few days and cause no harm. But the new study revises that view, suggesting that pennies minted in 1982 or later can eat awayat the stomachlining. Sara O'Hara, a researcher at DukeUniversity Medical Centerin Durham, N.C., reported the find- THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Society of North America in Chica- FARMERS BRANCH, Texas — Instead of putting on another sweater, the plummeting price of heating oil means people will be able to crank up the thermostat to keep their homestoasty this winter. Drivers can buy bigger cars with beefier engines with gasoline toxic brew of hydrogen gas and zinc chloride that chews up the stomachlining, O’Hara says. The onlycoins linked to stomach ulcers are pennies. Quarters, dimes and nickels contain mostly noncorrosive nickel. P.J. Smoot Learning and development leader Sauter, now retired in Ann Arbor, Mich., contribution to the company’s success, based on clearly defined goals agreed upon the pre- ran three companies after he left the newspaper publisher, Booth NewspapersInc., of Ann vious year. Arbor, which was acquired by Newhouse in “Listen for understanding,” Smoot advises managers. ‘And then, react honestly and constructively. Focus on the business goals, not on the personality.” The manager then should use questionsto guide the reviewee to a mutual understanding: ‘What about this? Would this have been moreeffective?” she says. A guide given to employees asks them to describe not what they did, but what they did that made a difference. It also asks them to describe something that didn't go right and prices so low that some people don’t even bother checking before are higherI pay little moreattention. Now, I leave the heat on Jeff Nelson of Dallas drives a DotOne Corp. of Salt? Lake City and Lotus Developmiétit Corp, have entered into a lic#tige and marketing agreement to“bundle DotOne’s DotNet software With Lotus’ ce:Mail e-mail softwAté. Dot- process worked, even in the toughest circumstances. Thedifficult review of a vice president led ality of ce:Mail by allowing delivery wasoutstanding.” So he terminated the review. “I said, ‘we'll never agree, because we're using different measures, solet's forget this unpleasant experience and talk about the standardsyou're going to be measured bynext year.’ Sauter considers review forms a bureau- cratic tool for managers to hide behind. He disliked ranking people's capabilities, a commontool on many forms. A good reviewer defines the goals to be achieved beforehand, Sauter says. These goals should be clear and measurable, so they can’t be disputed, and reachable. They should also focus on the results that will be achieved, not on the effort employees will make. During the review, he says, keep the ball in the reviewee’s court. As a manager, he says, “I havean idea how they did. But it’s more im- portantthat they know thanthat I know.” of Internet e-mail without requiring an Internet connectidifr mail relay host. nie? o aid NuSkin Enterprises ‘tnc., a Provo-based marketer of personalcare preducts, said its board ofdi- rectors‘. ~ approved a $1@ million expansi: “ye company’s sharerepurchase p:s.'.m armounced earlier this year. The company has been authorized to increase the program up toa total of!$20 mil- lion. This is an extension of the $10 million stock-repurchase program announcedJuly 21, which is nearly complete. MN Oo Myriad Genetics Inc, of Sait LakeCity said Bayer Corp,has extended until September, 2002its five-year collaboration ‘with the companyfor the discovery Of asthma, osteoporosis and obesity genes, Thee ion, Myriad’sfirst of twostrategic alliances with’ Bayer, has been renewed becaus¢’Myriad has made progress toward'isolating disease-causing genes, he, exten- sion will add another $6.2 million in committed research paythentsto sport utility vehicle and doesn’t worry much about filling the tank. numbersin 1990. “This thing eats a lot of gas,” Nelson said. “But low gas prices gallon in November, compared with 98.5 cents last year. The like the truck.” this winter, 5 cents less than last year. management consulting ‘esmpany at 2410 W. California Ave. in Salt The most recent price drop came after a meeting last week of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Counties failed to cut production. sall, it specializes in leadership, strategic planning, empleyee recruitment and development and customer-service/salestraining. aren't the reasonI boughtit. I just The Energy Department said Tuesday that a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline cost about 97.4 cents this week, the lowest since the department started keeping As If You Need Another Reason To Give Someone A Pager. Conference in Orlando, Fig. The Humveesimulator has gédgraphically specific databases that increase training realism. ‘ Qo miles apart on his performance,” he recalls. “I thought it was adequate at best; he thought it not to be perfect,” she says. Smoot recently picked up the idea of “accountability partners” from a fellow manager. Smoot wishes managers would drop the tough-guy approach to reviews and adopt the qualities of a good Little League coach. This, she insists, ‘doesn’t preclude her from saying you don't havetheskills to do this job.” Of course, she acknowledges, therewill always be those employees who can’t face reality. She recalls one who went ballistic at a negative review. ‘In my mind, it was what we were talking about all year,” she says, ‘‘but in his mind, it wasn't official because it wasn't on paper.” whenever.” the Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation ard Education Net service extends thefithction- him to the new review process, “We were whatthey learned fromit. ‘This saysit’s OK they pump. It’s all due to a world oil glut that even the merger of Exxon and Mobil, announced Tuesday, won't significantly alter. “My [natural] gas bill has been so cheap it's scary,” said Dee Yhap of Dallas. “When the prices developer of driving sintilation based military driving siryjgtor at equipment, unveiled its*Ffitmvee. 1978. At each company, hesays, his review Consumers Reveling in the Low Prices of Gasoline and Heating Oil ings Monday to the Radiological go. Thezincin the newerpenniesreacts with stomach acid to form a then, react honestly and constructively. Focus on the business goals, not on the personality.” It’s that time of year again. Can you feel your stomach knotup, your well-honed avoid- 1-Sim Corp., a Murray-based To avoid like that, Electro-Mechanical has recently switched from annual to quarterly reviews, Leonard says. ‘The purpose is to avoid surprises,’’ he says. If there are surprises, it is the manager who should get the negative evaluation. Leonard also encourages the employee to guide the review. With 100 people reporting to him, he can’t know everything about their performance. “They keep the worksheet,” he says. ‘They can lookat it periodically and understand wherethey stand.” “Listen for understanding. 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