We are all focussed on driving the best performance, creating the conditions for everyone to deliver the best possible outcomes for the business. We do that by being clear on expectations and priorities, putting collective success ahead of personal agendas, and holding ourselves and others to account for our results. It also means empowering others to do their best work through support and challenge in equal measure.
Each one of us plays a different role in making this happen through our key priorities (ensuring compliance, respecting and protecting the environment and the health, safety and wellbeing of our guests, the communities we visit and our people).
As leaders in our business, our impact and influence to deliver our business goals and demonstrate the expected behaviours cannot be underestimated.
Our performance framework is designed to focus our attention on our goals and to ensure that we receive regular feedback and support to perform at our best. Every Officer should understand their responsibilities within this framework, whether you are a manager of colleagues or not.
Critically, to deliver the best performance we recognise that our success is equally about ‘what‘ we do and ‘how’ we do it.
‘What‘ I do
My operational focus, technical skill, knowledge, and application of standards
‘How‘ I do
My behaviours; how I lead my team, how I interact and impact others, how I interact with guests.
Read more about our Culture Essentials, White Star Service and SHINE
Each of these aspects of our performance are equally important and at the end of each tour 50% of our appraisal rating is based on the ‘what’ and 50% on the ‘how’ and that’s our behaviours.
Everyone’s tour goals should support our business priorities, and if you have annual goals, your tour goals should support these too. To understand how to document your goals and performance tracking, use the examples below:
Goal
What I do: Drive Sustainable Improvement in HESS by operating a safe, reliable and compliant ship
How I do: Coaching to raise standards within team, encourage wider thinking to identify improvements to process, monitor to ensure adherence to new approach
Measures
Measures: Reduce waste by 10% within department
Achievement: Changed the waste segregation process, talked through the new approach with the team, waste reduction of 10% within department
Manager comments
Maria really drove the improvements, gaining buy-in from others, briefed the team well and monitored adherence closely ensuring new approach was embedded
Use the tabs below for full details and documents to support
you in competing your performance framework
- Setting up for success
- Developing and enabling
- Performance appraisal
It’s important you establish what is expected of you through your tour, this should be done during your initial conversation with your manager and within two weeks of boarding.
Use the below Goals and Performance Template to capture your goals. Continue to make notes on achievements during your tour and share with your manager in your performance discussions.
- Everyone’s tour goals should support our business priorities, and if you have annual goals, your tour goals should support these too.
- Avoid general statements.
- Ensure they are clear and measurable as these along with your behaviours will be what your performance will be measured against.
A useful framework when setting goals:
I will…
- Incorporate a different SHINE/White Star Service or Recovering Brilliantly behaviour into my daily musters.
- Achieve at least five effective safety conversations a month.
- Monitor NPS comments and scores and share feedback with teams at musters.
In order to…
- Improve departmental NPS scores by x%.
- Raise levels of safety awareness in my team.
- Drive performance and NPS scores to deliver ‘Great Service Consistently’.
By this date…
- Daily.
- Monthly.
- Once per cruise.
If your manager is setting your goal, you should discuss any that you have carried over from your last tour so they are also included and ultimately appraised.
Goal discussions should be open and two way, you need to ensure you agree with and are clear about what is expected of you and how you will be measured in your end of tour appraisal.
Development
We should continually look to develop our skills, knowledge and behaviours. Regardless of how long we perform in a role there are always areas where we can improve our performance. No one wants to stand still and become stale in their job.
All Officers should have some form of development plan for each tour or this may carry through the performance year. The plan could include broadening knowledge, working on a project, taking on more responsibilities or managing a difficult situation within your current role. This could also include learning new things in preparation of a new role.
Prepare a plan that meets your needs and aspirations, the Learning and Development Officer or HR Manager will be able to suggest activities or reading to support any behavioural or leadership development goals. Many ships have a library of leadership and management material which may also support you.
Open Cunard Individual Development Planning guide here
Open P&O Cruises Individual Development Planning guide here
Make sure early in your tour you share your plan with your manager. Discuss what support you may need and how you would like to be monitored to ensure you receive feedback on your development progress. Development plans are not measured as part of your performance reviews, but increased performance is and your appetite to grow will be noted in terms of career progression.
Enabling success
You should expect to meet with your line manager regularly throughout your tour to ensure you receive clear and ongoing feedback, this is important for your development and ensuring you have a successful tour.
Discussions should be confidential and held in a safe place where you ae given every opportunity to ask questions and Speak Up if necessary.
Before your 121
- Reflect on what you want discussed in the meeting and how well you have met the expectations set at the start of your tour.
- Update your Goals/Objectives and Performance Template with your progress and achievements.
- Think how to describe both what you did and the behaviours you displayed that created the best outcome and impact.
- Don’t just focus on ‘what’ you’ve achieved, think about ‘how‘ you’ve achieved it and the behaviours you’ve displayed. Use our Culture Essentials and Service Behaviours expectations (White Star Service and SHINE) to support you. Use the icons below to learn more about these.
During your 121
- Discuss any challenges in real time or what isn’t going so well and how to improve it.
- Ask your line manager for feedback on progress against your goals and Culture Essential/Service Behaviours. (You can also ask for feedback from your colleagues.)
- Think about your focus for the rest of your tour and what support you need from your manager.
Please note: Any underperformance should not be a surprise during an end of tour review. Your manager should clearly set out any concerns through your tour, so you have an opportunity to address any performance or behaviour gaps before you disembark. Your manager should also give you feedback on any highlights. Positive comments are valuable in knowing specifically where you perform well so you can maximise your impact.
Remember, 121s are a safe space for team members to Speak Up. Use this guide to help you if someone Speaks Up.
To ensure you have a quality end-of-tour review with your line manager, make sure you take time to prepare.
Before your end-of-tour review
Think about your achievements:
- Before your meeting, take time to reflect on your achievements by reviewing the progress you’ve made against your goals or expectations as well as your performance more generally.
- Consider any challenges you’ve encountered, how you’ve overcome them, and things you’ve learnt.
- Update your Goals/Objectives and Performance Template with your progress and achievements and email a copy to your to your manager so they can add their comments before your end-of-tour review. This template will be attached to your end of tour appraisal in support of your performance rating.
Consider the ‘how’
- Don’t just focus on what you have achieved, think about how you’ve achieved it, and your approach and behaviours that drove success. Refer to our Culture Essentials and SHINE and White Star Service behaviours to support your thinking.
- Ask colleagues for feedback to better understand your strengths and development areas.
- Pick out key examples that show how you have met your goals. Then think about how you went about these; who did you need to influence, how did you collaborate across departments, how did you consider the wider impact of what you were implementing, did you consider risks and how did you mitigate them?
During your end-of-tour review
- Talk about your achievements with your line manager. Remember to share specific examples.
- Ask for feedback on progress against your goals or expectations and Culture Essential and Service Behaviours.
- If you have a Personal Development Plan, review this together and agree what is completed and what you should continue to develop in your next tour.
- Your manager will attach a copy of your Goals and Performance Template to your appraisal form which will be sent to your personal email for your records.
Please remember: Personal notes should not be saved and held in shared folders. Please ensure you delete any personal information from your ‘sent’ and ‘deleted’ folders.