Beyond Smileys - Effective Performance Reviews
Many employees dread their annual performance review- a lot of managers dislike them, too. Giving constructive feedback should be a part of your daily “to do” list when you’re a leader, and your one-on-one meetings with your team should not just be focused on project updates but include discussion about performance and opportunities for development. For more formal performance reviews, here are a few ideas to make the process less onerous and more productive.
Be specific, stay positive, but don’t sugarcoat. “For both solid and poor performers, frame feedback in terms of a 'stop, start, and continue' model, suggests Barron. What is the employee doing now that is not working? What are they doing that is highly effective? What actions should they adopt to be more so? By focusing on behaviors not dispositions, it takes the personal edge out of the conversation.”
Give feedback that inspires. “All too often performance reviews feel punitive rather than constructive and often demotivate employees.”
Finally, this article offers an interesting history of the annual performance review and also asks the question: what if we got rid of them? Some companies are eliminating this approach to giving feedback. Is this something you would consider for your organization?
