My staffers want to be responsible for measuring their performance at shows. Is this a smart idea? And if I implement it, how should it work?

It's always a good idea for people to be responsible for their performance measures. This way, they know what's expected from them individually and what success looks like. There are a few steps you can take to make sure this process works smoothly. First, convene a meeting of all your people and help them identify and agree upon the key success factors for their specific jobs at a show. For example, it could be anything from the number of attendees they qualify to the requests for information they process.

Next, identify what the team as a whole must do to deliver value to the company for the price it's paying to send them to a show. Look at the company's total cost (e.g., the staffers' salary and travel expenses, etc.), then look at its objective for the show. If it's monetary, then you ask them to gauge the revenue raised against the costs of going to it. If there is another objective, such as an increase in brand awareness, for example, then the team can simply measure whether it met or exceeded the goal.

Finally, let your staff be creative in the ways they can meet those goals. Empowering them to attain their objectives is an effective way to achieve them, because good managers know that people readily support that which they help create. E