A short one hour presentation looking at the 5 biggest myths of employee development including performance management and talent management which are ineffective if not destructive in terms of creating a high functioning workplace. Too many businesses subscribe to these myths.

1. IMPROVING EMPLOYEE
EFFECTIVENESS
Presented by Dr. John Persico Jr.

2. THE FIVE MYTHS OF EMPLOYEE
DEVELOPMENT
• We keep doing the same thing and expect different
results
• No one is happy with our performance systems
• We must set goals for employees or they will
underperform
• A manager’s job is to keep our employees busy
• There must be a better way to manage people
• We never have the right people for the right jobs
• It takes so long to hire a new employee
Why they must be understood before we can improve employee
effectiveness!

3. THE FIVE MYTHS OF EMPLOYEE
DEVELOPMENT
1. The Myth of Motivation
“We have three innate psychological needs—
competence, autonomy, and relatedness. When
those needs are satisfied, we’re motivated,
productive, and happy.”
― Daniel H. Pink, Drive: The Surprising Truth About
What Motivates Us

4. THE FIVE MYTHS OF EMPLOYEE
DEVELOPMENT
2. The Myth of Education and Training
A Ph.D. is not necessarily better than an MBA,
An MBA is not necessarily better than a BA,
A BA is not necessarily better than a HS diploma,
A HS diploma is not necessarily better than no diploma.
IT ALL DEPENDS!

6. THE FIVE MYTHS OF EMPLOYEE
DEVELOPMENT
3. The Myth of Experience
In an interview:
Applicant: “I have fifteen years of experience.”
Interviewer: “Is it fifteen years of experience or
one year of experience and fifteen years of
repeating it?”
Dr. W. E. Deming: “Experience without theory teaches nothing.”

7. THE FIVE MYTHS OF EMPLOYEE
DEVELOPMENT
4. The Myth of Performance Management
• How many of your employees would be twice as productive if
they were paid twice as much tomorrow?
• Goals can either be too low, too high or just right. Most
systems cannot determine which goals are “just right.”

8. THE FIVE MYTHS OF EMPLOYEE
DEVELOPMENT
5. The Myth of Talent Management
Democracy is a system that achieves extraordinary results
with ordinary people. --- Hubert H. Humphrey
Do you know how many people are “above average?”
In a study conducted by psychologists Hoorens and Buunk, high school
students were asked to estimate how true a number of personality traits
were of themselves, and of the average student. Results showed that
students rated themselves significantly higher than average on positive
traits (such as honesty, persistence and originality) and lower than average
on negative ones (such as hostility, vanity and reasonableness.) There are
a ton more studies which demonstrate this tendency to rate oneself as
above average: ninety percent of drivers think they are better than the
average driver, and most students think they are more intelligent than the
average student.

9. BUILDING AN EFFECTIVE EMPLOYEE
DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

10. BUILDING AN EFFECTIVE EMPLOYEE
DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
Skills
and
Abilities
Creativity Initiativ
e
DesireRecruiti
ng

11. BUILDING AN EFFECTIVE EMPLOYEE
DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
Skills
and
Abilities
Creativity Initiativ
e
Desire
Developing Theory/
Experience
Mentori
ng
Planned
Work
Projects
Recruiting

12. THE STEP
MODEL FOR
EMPLOYEE
TRAINING
Innovat
or
Discrimina
tor
Describ
er
Skilled
Worker
Educato
r
Theory
Theory
Theory
Theory
E
x
p
e
r
I
c
e
E
x
p
e
r
I
c
e
E
x
p
e
r
I
c
e
E
x
p
e
r
I
c
e

13. BUILDING AN EFFECTIVE EMPLOYEE
DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
Skills
and
Abilities
Creativity Initiativ
e
Desire
DevelopingTheory/
Experienc
e
Mentori
ng
Managing
Planned
Work
Projects
Coachin
g
Removing
De-
motivators
Recruitin
g

14. BUILDING AN EFFECTIVE EMPLOYEE
DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
Skills
and
Abilities
Creativity Initiativ
e
Desire
Developing Theory/
Experience
Mentori
ng
Managing
Planned
Work
Projects
Coachin
g
LeadingAdvancement &
Organizational
Incentives
Removing
De-
Motivators
Recruitin
g

15. QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS