In the fast-paced and demanding world of mining operations, effective employee performance management is not just desirable; it’s essential for ensuring operational efficiency, safety, and productivity.
From leading teams across remote sites to managing 24-hour mining operations, the resources sector presents unique hurdles for leaders, marked by continuous change, pressure to perform, and complex corporate expectations.
To address these challenges, mining leaders must adopt proactive strategies for gathering feedback and collaboratively solving problems. In this article, AusIMM explains five concepts and techniques that can help you, as a mining leader, to improve employee performance.
Understanding technical vs. adaptive problems
As a mining leader, you are likely to encounter a wide range of challenges, from routine technical issues to more complex adaptive problems. Technical problems typically have clear-cut solutions based on an individual’s existing knowledge and expertise.
“These are the issues we can typically address with our technical know-how and standard operating procedures,” Melanie McCarthy Mentor principal and former mine general manager Melanie McCarthy said.
However, not all challenges we face are technical in nature. Some are adaptive, meaning they require mining professionals to systematically seek other’s input to find effective, enduring solutions.
In the course Leadership for Managers in Mining, McCarthy provides a real-life example of a safety toolbox meeting that is continually hijacked by team members who want to express grievances around non-safety related issues, such as pay, conditions or even the laundry. For the vocal mine operators, this is the only regular group forum that the mining team has with the managers. However, the meeting wastes time and prevents the team from being proactive about safety.
As a manager, in this instance, you might attempt to get the meeting back on track by initiating a rule: no one in the meeting can discuss anything other than safety. However, this “quick fix” is unlikely to work and could make team members feel like their legitimate concerns are being silenced.
The safety toolbox example is anadaptive challenge. To tackle this, McCarthy advises you need to “undertake deep engagement, using multiple people, to come up with the changes needed to make the meeting more effective”.
Techniques for helping to resolve an adaptive problem:
- Define the challenge using other people’s input
- If time and resources permit, create a project team to define project outcomes
- Ask yourself and others: what does success look like?
Building trust and accountability
McCarthy emphasises the importance of building deep trust among team members as a foundational element of effective employee performance management. She highlights the need for managers to lead by example, setting clear expectations and demonstrating accountability in their own behaviour.
McCarthy recalls her own practice of refraining from using her phone during meetings, signalling to her team members the importance of focus and engagement. This commitment to being fully present and attentive sets a powerful precedent for team behaviour and fosters a culture of mutual respect and accountability.
Creating a culture of feedback
Central to McCarthy’s approach to performance management is the cultivation of a culture of open and honest feedback.
While desirable, she also acknowledges there can be barriers to individuals seeking feedback. Without a foundation of trust within the team, individuals may hesitate to challenge their managers in meetings, fearing potential judgment or negative repercussions.
The hierarchical structure within organisations can create a power dynamic that discourages employees from providing candid feedback to their managers, inhibiting open communication. To combat this, McCarthy encourages managers to actively solicit feedback from team members on a regular basis, signalling a genuine desire for personal and professional growth.
Melanie suggests following the SBIBI framework when asking for feedback:
- Situation
- Behaviour
- Impact
- Alternative behaviour
- Alternative impact
By creating a safe space for feedback and demonstrating they are receptive to input, managers can empower their team members to voice their perspectives and contribute to collective learning and improvement.
McCarthy herself undertook a 360-degree survey with her managers, peers, direct reports, and some underground miners. This survey helped her to realise there was dissonance between how she perceived her leadership and how some of the underground miners perceived it.
For example, you might think you are being strong where others might see your behaviour as inflexible. To figure out if you could be experiencing dissonance, McCarthy suggests asking some trusted friends to describe your worst traits and then to choose two and actively work on them. You might also consider sharing insights from your own quarterly reflection with your team members to keep yourself accountable.
To overcome common barriers to seeking feedback, McCarthy recommends creating a safe and supportive environment where individuals feel comfortable expressing their opinions. A culture is built over time. To build a safe and supportive environment, you need to continually encourage team members to contribute and commend them when they do.
If a team member is shamed in some way for expressing their opinion, they are less likely to feel safe sharing in the future, and this will be the same for other team members.
Embracing continuous improvement
For successful performance management, McCarthy also stresses the importance of ongoing learning and self-improvement for leaders.
She views leadership not as a static role but as a dynamic process of growth and evolution. In the mining industry, continuous improvement can manifest in various ways, such as implementing new technologies and automation systems to enhance operational efficiency and safety, investing in employee training and development programs to upskill workers and improve job performance or regularly reviewing and updating safety protocols – to name a few.
By embracing a mindset of continuous improvement, leaders can adapt to changing circumstances, refine their leadership style, and cultivate the skills and qualities needed to inspire and motivate their teams.
Benefits of taking a proactive approach to problem solving
By adopting a proactive approach to gathering feedback and solving problems, mining professionals can unlock several benefits:
- Improved employee engagement: involving team members in the problem-solving process and valuing their input enhances employee engagement and morale, leading to greater productivity and job satisfaction.
- Enhanced problem-solving capabilities: addressing adaptive challenges requires innovative thinking and collaboration across all levels of the organisation. By embracing a feedback-driven approach, mining professionals can develop their problem-solving capabilities and adapt more effectively to changing circumstances.
- Cultivation of a learning culture: fostering a culture of continuous improvement and feedback encourages ongoing learning and development among team members. This enables organisations to remain agile and resilient in the face of evolving challenges and opportunities.
Enhancing employee performance management in the mining industry requires a proactive approach to gathering feedback and solving problems. By understanding the distinction between technical and adaptive problems, leveraging the strengths of a multi-generational workforce, and following a systematic process for problem-solving, mining professionals can drive meaningful improvements in performance and organisational success.
McCarthy was the first woman general manager of a mine in Victoria and has worked in over ten different mine sites, both on-site and fly-in, fly-out (FIFO), producing six different commodities. McCarthy is also the facilitator of the AusIMM Associate Certificate Course, Leadership for Managers in Mining.
As a people leader, do you:
- Face resistance when you roll out changes or new ideas?
- Feel like you’re leading individuals – rather than a cohesive team?
- Feel anxious about giving performance feedback?
Reduce the stress of people management while you establish the building blocks as a respected leader equipped to lead your team to success with AusIMM’s Leadership for Managers in Mining Associate Certificate Course.
Being promoted to leadership roles often comes from technical ability and expert discipline knowledge. However, leading people requires additional skills and self-knowledge to be successful. This course is designed to give you the skills, frameworks and insights to understand how to be the leader your team needs to reach both their full potential and business objectives.
