Today’s school business leaders are navigating increasingly complex work environments. Staff are stretched. Expectations are rising. Resources are often limited. So how do you consistently get high-quality performance from your team—not just compliance, but real engagement and excellence? 

The answer isn’t force, or motivational gimmicks or micromanagement. True performance doesn’t come from “wringing people out like towels,” as author Simon Sinek quips. It comes from creating environments where people can do their best work naturally and leading with clarity and care that makes that possible. 

The Leader’s Role in Performance

At its core, performance management is less about monitoring people and more about setting the conditions where clarity, feedback, and support drive growth. 

That means we don’t “get” performance out of people as if pulling it from a file. We create clarity about what great performance looks like, then help remove barriers that get in the way. That might mean adjusting systems, fixing communication gaps, or aligning staff expectations with actual district strategy. 

The leader’s job isn’t to control performance. It’s to shape the system around it. 

A Simple Framework to Understand What Your Staff Needs

In CASBO’s Performance Management Micro-Certificate, one practical tool discussed is the “Questions, Comments, Concerns, Connections” (QCCC) method. It’s simple, but powerful, and it can immediately shift how your team engages during meetings, transitions, or new initiatives. 

Here’s how it works: 

• As you present a new idea, initiative, or expectation, ask team members to jot down their questions (what don’t I understand?), comments (what do I think about this?), concerns (what worries me?), and connections (how does this relate to other work we’re doing?). 

• Throughout the session, encourage them to update their notes as answers are provided or clarity is gained. 

• At the end, collect and review what’s still unresolved. 

This tool reveals your team’s understanding, alignment, and readiness. It invites reflection and surfaces emotional reactions. It gives you a clearer picture of what’s happening beneath the surface. 

As importantly, it signals to staff that their perspectives matter, that performance is a shared process, not a top-down demand. 

Many leaders find that QCCC uncovers quiet resistance, corrects dangerous assumptions, and strengthens the communication loop without requiring high-tech tools or extra meetings. It works in one-on-ones, department check-ins, or full-team discussions. 

Fit Your Strategy To Your Team

One of the most critical insights about performance management is this: not every strategy works the same in every team. What motivates staff in one district may miss the mark in another. Leaders must build performance systems that fit their local context, values, and workflows. 

That’s why it’s so important to listen before acting and why adapting best practices to your own team’s reality is an essential leadership move. 

You might discover that your culture is risk-averse, or resistant to written feedback, or unclear on the difference between supervision and support. That’s not failure—it’s information. And good leaders use that information to create better systems, not stricter controls. 

Many methods, like QCCC, are designed to be flexible for exactly that reason. In some organizations, it’s a written form. In others, it’s a discussion guide. Some leaders use it monthly. Others weekly. What matters is using it as a mirror to understand what your team sees, feels, and needs before moving forward. 

Build Leadership Skills That Help People Thrive

Performance management is about partnership, first and foremost. And if you’re ready to lead with more clarity, connection, and confidence, CASBO’s Performance Management Micro-Certificate is your next step. 

This on-demand cohort is designed for school business leaders who want to: 

• Strengthen their teams through better communication 

• Understand how to adapt strategies across different work cultures 

• Build systems that align staff strengths with organizational goals 

Whether you’re a supervisor, department head, or aspiring executive, this course will give you practical strategies you can apply immediately—and the leadership mindset to use them well. 

Great performance doesn’t happen by accident. It happens when leaders act with intention. 

Learn how to do that—and start building a stronger, more aligned team today.