Hitting the ESRC Button
Several months ago I had a conversation with my friend Tony, the owner / operator of my favorite Chick-fil-A. (Full disclosure: Tony employs two of my sons, so I will only speak in positive, glowing terms about him, because they like their job and I like not giving them more money.)
Tony shared with me the following tool he uses to help his employees – and his leaders – know where they’re hitting the mark and where they can make improvements. Whether ESRC is original to him or not, I don’t know, but I’m sure he was the mastermind behind it and could write several best-selling books on the concept (because again: boss).
Expectations are the clearly-stated goals for the employee’s performance. This is the job description, the task list, the punch card that they accept when they take on the responsibility. The key question for expectations: Do they know what they need to do?
Skills are the training components needed to do the job. Skills might be learned through video training, on-the-job training, classes, reading, testing, etc. Key for skills: Has the employer provided the right training at the right time?
Resources makes up the time, the money, the stuff they need in order to perform. Are the tools handy? Is the equipment working? Are the deadlines reasonable? The question at hand: Have we freed up the stuff they need to do what we’ve asked?
Consequences are the results of ESR, once they’ve been fully implemented. Consequences don’t have to be negative. As a matter of fact, they’re not always negative. Rather, they’re a neutral, where the outcome is based on the good or bad performance of the team member. Question: What happens when the performance happens (or doesn’t happen)?
Without ESR, the team member can’t do the job. Without the understanding of C, they often won’t do the job.
How can you apply ESRC to your volunteer team? Have you clearly stated expectations, trained for skills, provided resources, and clarified consequences? Before you write off a vol as a bad fit, make sure you’ve done all you can to help her fit.
You didn’t mention the S- skill set. Does the recipient have the training and skill necessary to do the job or meet the expectations? Can they do the job?