Performance Appraisals/Reviews – Part One
It’s that time of year when managers need to be getting ready for the new financial year and are running around trying to agree budgets etc for the financial year ahead.
Then someone in HR says, hey it’s now time to get your Performance Appraisals done! I can hear the sighs from here! Every year it’s the same thing! Most Managers drag their heels on appraisals/performance reviews. Many managers view it as a thing HR make them do so they can give people pay rises or bonuses. They see it as something they are forced to go through! And what’s worse, if there are no pay rises or bonuses on offer, many managers can’t see the point of the review at all. Me thinks they are missing the point!
Think about it, if you don’t really buy into an idea, are you going to give it your upmost – no. Will you do the best job and be inspired to do so? NO! So then you get what you expect! Often managers tell me their people don’t value appraisals. And my response is always – that’s because you do not! I know this to be true. I have spent 25 years observing managers/leaders and their effects on their people/team.
As a manager, if you approach Performance Reviews / Appraisals as a necessary evil or some mundane task that needs to be done, then SO will your people and the whole thing will become a disappointment to everyone concerned. I will guarantee that! I have seen it way too many times to know that it is true!
It has always puzzled me how many managers don’t understand the power of feedback. I am often bewildered at having to ‘convince’ a manager to do performance reviews. In fact, EFFECTIVE FEEDBACK IS the manager’s BEST & MOST POWERFUL MANAGEMENT TOOL!
Research project after research project over the past 30 years holds the same outcome - Effective and Regular Feedback drives and motivates employees!!! So it is baffling why many managers have to be forced to do it through a HR process!
The best EXCUSE I hear from managers is that they don’t have time for Employee Appraisals/Review because they are TOO busy trying to get results! I often giggle to myself about that. They can’t see that the best way to get the most powerful results is to have your people outperform on expectations. And the best and easiest way to do that is to utilise the most powerful tool in the world to change behaviour – EFFECTIVE CONSTRUCTIVE FEEDBACK!
If these managers just stepped back a moment and observed highly respected, highl performing and achieving leaders, they would see what I just said is true!
So, if you only provide feedback at times HR tells you to, you really are not a leader and probably should reconsider your suitability to the role. Shock horror I know!!
All poor managers/leaders I’ve worked with in 25 years have some common failings - poor communicators; poor leaders in terms of leading by example (i.e. do what I say, not what I do); have no vision or realistic, inspiring goals; they fail to know what affects performance of their people and they fail to provide powerful constructive feedback to assist their people to succeed!
A well designed Appraisal/Review Process is designed to ensure everyone gets the best out of the performance management approach. It ensures everyone is able to perform to their best ability. But please know that an annual appraisal is not good performance management. It is but one element of a highly effective Performance Management Approach.
Now, to say that you don't have an effective process/paperwork is also no excuse. That's just trying to blame someone else or something else. Regardless of whether your company has a well designed approach or not, it is incumbent on every leader and more importantly, central to your success, to ensure you and your team can deliver exceptional performance! At the end of the day, it is not about the paperwork or process, it's about facilitating a great review.
My Performance Coach can assist your organisation develop a highly effective, highly customised Performance Management Approach, following world class, best practice principles that get RESULTS! We provide pragamatic solutions that have been proven to work. We also provide powerful coaching and training programs for managers to assist them in becoming more effective leaders.
Based on significant research, here are the key elements that make any Performance Review highly effective:-
► Provide a two way, open and honest discussion about your employee’s performance
► Provide a two way, open and honest discussion about your leadership and performance
► Recognise your employee’s achievements against expectations/objectives/targets
► Identify key behaviours and actions that led to the employee’s successes
► Identify areas for improvement
► Identify learning and development activities and opportunities
► Reward Good Performance and Behaviour
► Clearly communicate future performance outcomes
► Consider succession-planning and talent management initiatives (longer term)
Remember, the purpose of an appraisal is to recognise good behaviour and performance, be encouraging and inspiring and also helping the person to understand their strengths and development needs! Even if you have a significant under-performer, the best way to achieve better outcomes with them is to ensure that they too have a powerful and inspiring performance review!
