By Tom Davidson
This time of year, many managers like you are entering the performance review cycle, but where many performance reviews break down is in the fact that the organization and/or the manager focus too much on the what and not enough on the how.
This time of year, many managers like you are entering the performance review cycle, often an annual event that, in some organizations, happens at the same time for everyone. Usually, organizations provide a form for the review so that they are standardized and cover the proper information.
Whether your annual reviews happen all at once or at the anniversary dates of your employees, my main advice is to rise above the form. I put it this way because there is almost always significant angst about “the form,” complaints that lead organizations to change them frequently, even as often as every couple of years or when a new HR manager is brought in or promoted!
Remember, the form is not the review; it’s just a record of the conversation. Rise above the form, and make the conversation meaningful and helpful to all concerned. You can do this in three ways:
1. Cover the how, not just the what
2. Make sure there are no surprises
3. Gather the employee’s perspective before the meeting
1. Cover the how, not just the what
Where many performance reviews break down is in the fact that the organization and/or the manager focus too much on the what and not enough on the how.
What an employee accomplishes are the tasks, goals, objectives and/or results that are specific requirements of their role in the organization. These are the easiest to spot and measure, so because they are usually so clear and objective, they become the focus of the annual review. It’s when the what is the sole focus of the review that big problems occur. Evaluation of the what has to be balanced with an assessment and balanced feedback of the how.
How an employee accomplishes the tasks, goals, objectives and/or results is the way they go about doing their work, which should be just as important about what they accomplish. For example, some employees still reach their goals but do so at the expense of other employees. Some get their work done but alienate people in the process, and others reach their objectives but undermine leadership and teamwork in the process.
No matter how the annual performance review is set up, you still need to talk about the what and the how. Moreover, you should document not only what occurred in both parts of their performance and be clear about the what and the how goals for the year ahead.
In the second blog post in this series, we’ll discuss the second and third principle for rising above the annual performance review form, “no surprises” and gathering the employee’s perspective I advance.
How else do you “rise above the annual performance review” to make it better than a dreaded exercise in corporate form filling?