Performance Management Training that Works

Performance Management Training that works

How to effectively manage performance, set goals & have difficult conversations

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“The Zynga team is incredibly appreciative of the impactful learning solutions! Conducting a total of ten customized Performance Management Training sessions in just three days is an impressive accomplishment. Please accept our sincere thanks for the monumental facilitation effort you gave and for delivering “out of the box” to our UK and India teams.

We truly appreciated your partnership and ability to flex in the moment. It’s been delightful. Forwarding a round of applause your way from all of us.”
Corri Cooper | Director Learning & Development | Zynga

“I’ve been associated with LSA for the last 8 years and have found them to be an extremely professional, well managed full service training and consulting organization. The quality of the approach, resources and deliverables of their performance management training solutions are superior.

LSA is well prepared and have definitely aligned to our corporate culture and our business priorities.”
Duane Schroeder | Human Resource Manager | Alps

“Thank you so much. The performance conversation workshop was so meaningful, and I came away feeling very excited and more prepared than ever before about working on my performance review.”
Heidi Warren | Sales Manager | Nice CXone

Effective performance management training is essential for anyone responsible for supervising others. Guiding and improving team performance spans a spectrum — from informal, day-to-day feedback conversations to formal annual appraisals that influence raises, promotions, and career development.  Unfortunately, a recent performance management study found that:

  • 45% of HR executives rate managers as having difficulty differentiating between high and low performers.
  • Nearly 40% of line managers believe that they lack the training and skills needed to manage employee performance effectively.
  • 60% of employees say their performance goals are not clearly aligned with business strategy.

It’s no surprise that employee relations issues are on the rise and that many employees feel “squeezed,” struggling to meet expectations with minimal guidance. The upside is that skilled managers can create a positive performance environment and clear communication system — one that not only drives superior results but also inspires discretionary effort and fosters loyalty from every team member.

Positive Performance Environments
When employees have clear goals, well-defined roles, and measurable success criteria — reinforced through thoughtful performance planning and constructive feedback — they are far more likely to commit fully to both individual and team success. Consistently fair, transparent, accurate, timely, and relevant performance management practices create a win-win, benefiting not only employees and managers but the organization as a whole.

Effective Communication Systems
Difficult performance conversations arise for many reasons — poor performance, weak interpersonal skills, missed promotions or raises, or any situation that sparks disappointment, confusion, or hurt feelings. Some managers avoid these conversations at all costs, while others lean in, equating delivering tough news with demonstrating “strength.”

Regardless of where you fall on this comfort spectrum, these conversations don’t have to be painful. In fact, they can become powerful developmental opportunities — for both the employee and the manager. Leveraging performance management training to build a high-performance culture aligned with your people, your values, and your business strategy is challenging — but highly rewarding.

Successful performance management requires managers to build strong, mutually beneficial relationships, tailor their approach to each individual, conduct respectful coaching conversations that deliver measurable results, and leverage both the strengths and intrinsic motivation of their team members.

Performance Management Training — Learning Objectives for Setting the Right Environment

  • Clarify and consistently communicate performance expectations aligned with business priorities.
  • Define and implement SMART objectives that measurably drive individual and team performance.
  • Elevate performance through structured, two-way feedback that reinforces accountability and growth.
  • Foster a culture of mutual respect supported by frequent, candid performance conversations.
  • Deliver accurate, actionable, and unbiased performance evaluations that improve decision-making.
  • Establish forward-focused performance targets that align daily work with strategic outcomes.
  • Strengthen performance coaching capabilities to increase both competence and commitment.
  • Diagnose and address motivational barriers that limit engagement and results.
  • Integrate performance discussions into individualized development plans to sustain long-term growth.

Performance Management Training — Learning Objectives for Ensuring Impactful Communication

  • Replace avoidance with capability by leading difficult conversations with clarity, tact, and confidence.
  • Apply practical tools to strengthen communication, alignment, and cross-functional collaboration.
  • Differentiate and appropriately balance inquiry and advocacy to improve dialogue quality.
  • Adapt communication approaches to diverse personalities, contexts, and high-stakes situations.
  • Build proficiency in delivering and receiving feedback that drives behavioral change.
  • Navigate emotionally charged or sensitive conversations with professionalism and composure.
  • Translate conversations into clear commitments through structured, forward-looking action plans.

Target Audience
People managers who are interested in improving the short- and long-term performance and engagement of their teams.

To speak with an LSA Expert to learn about the Performance Management Training, Goal Setting, and Difficult Performance Conversations program customization and delivery options for your company, please contact us.

Related Information

We contacted LSA to help us design and deliver customized management development programs. LSA worked with us to meet our exact needs. We started at the top with our executive team.  It was such a great success that we rolled it out company-wide. We look forward to a long-term partnership with LSA Global and their team of experts.

Barry L. Byrd, SPHR
Human Resources Manager

Over the years, both at 3Com and now at Redback, I’ve found LSA Global to be a valuable partner. The recent management programs that they delivered for Redback’s executive and management teams was the right solution, of the highest of quality, and customized to fit our unique business and culture. I would highly recommend LSA to any company looking for top quality solutions.

Gina Fulton
Vice President of Human Resources

We engaged LSA to design and deliver a 6-month custom executive coaching program to help a core group of senior leaders to leverage previous investments in management training, to ensure the engagement and retention of key employees, and to push critical strategic initiatives forward.

Even with the high expectations of our senior people, LSA has completely exceeded our expectations. You can’t go wrong with LSA.

Ivan Fukumoto
Senior HR Manager - Staffing, Training, & Development

Our company engaged LSA to do a specialized business presentation skills and a “train the trainer” program.

They outdid our exceptionally high standards.

The upfront work to interview key members and customize everything to our unique situation made all the difference. Thanks to everyone!

Frank Abbott
Chief Financial Officer

A key to performance improvement is cultivating the proper type of motivation.

Since the performance management training, I have been much more focused on identifying and discussing how our actions in Engineering create value to IGT’s success.

The feedback has been very positive, the group appears to be more accountable for their actions, and victim loop reactions are less frequent.  Thank you!

Stewart Thoeni
Mechanical, HW Engineering Director

The customized Managing Virtual Teams program was extremely valuable for our managers and leaders.

LSA’s fundamental knowledge of our company provided an incredible base to build upon while tackling the complications of managing and working with globally distributed teams.

Our teams walked away walked away with highly useful insights, practices, and tools. It was excellent.

Debra Martucci
Vice President, Information Technology

Harmonic has worked with LSA for over 8 years. We have found their partnership extremely beneficial.

We recently implemented customized Management Development Programs designed to support our company’s strategic initiative of hiring, building, and retaining key intellectual property and human talent.  It has had the greatest impact.

I would recommend LSA to any company that’s looking for a trusted training and development partner to take their leaders and managers to the next level.

Janice Passarello
Director of Human Resources

I highly recommend LSA Global to anyone who is looking to improve individual and organizational effectiveness through highly customized and top quality leadership and management training programs.

LSA’s broad range of expertise is a wonderful resource.

Greg Pappas
VP of Human Resources

Understanding and conforming to legal compliance was very important to our company.

LSA’s interactive program for our managers was top-notch. It was tailored to our needs, aligned with our policies, and met all federal and state legal requirements.

I would highly recommend LSA Global.

Kelly Warren, SPHR
Director, HR & Compliance

We gave LSA a very short deadline to customize an important management training program to meet our unique requirements.

Their facilitator was excellent, an expert in the subject matter, and very credible with our teams.

The targeted design provided practical and valuable information and skills that our managers truly needed.

I highly recommend LSA Global, particularly in the area of management training.

Julaine K. Souza
Senior Vice President

LSA has been a tremendous asset at my current company and my past company.

As an HR leader, I am always looking for ways to find external resources that can provide impactful leadership and management development expertise. LSA consistently does that for me.

The tools and practices are crisp, business relevant, and easy to apply on the job.

Ken Boehm
VP of Human Resources

I am very impressed with the quality of work and talent. LSA did a great job of listening to my needs and providing the exact management training program expertise we needed to get the job done.

Don Pryor
Director, Business Planning & Analysis

LSA custom designed a Management Development program that is absolutely “on target” for our technical managers .

Their facilitator has done a superb job delivering the material in a way that is fast paced, highly interactive, and fun. She presents practical solutions to the critical people situations that our managers face every day.

I regard LSA as an excellent partner that understands our business needs and an important virtual member of our HR department.

Judith Onton
Vice President Human Resources

I continue to be impressed by the depth and breadth of LSA’s expertise in leadership development, and management development.

What a smart and client-centric group of great people who really know how to help leaders attract, engage, develop and retain top talent in a practical and results-driven manner.

Thank you LSA!

Tracy Esposito
Director, HR Business Partner

LSA Global has been a great partner in helping us move toward being “the leading developer of talent in the service performance management industry.”

I have engaged LSA to help develop best-in-class programs in the areas of: Executive On-boarding, Manager Training, Sales Training and Coaching, Employee Engagement, and Instructional Design.

They have consistently met or exceeded my (very) high expectations and are always responsive to my needs to increase performance, engagement, customer satisfaction, and sales growth.

Mike Normant
Senior Director, Training & Development

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