Performance Reviews, the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

Anyone that has ever worked on one of my teams knows that I love review season. I relish it. It is a time of year that we get the opportunity to reflect on all we’ve accomplished. Not only the opportunity I guess but in cases where you write self-reviews it’s essentially forced. Now, I do understand that they are stressful for people but if performance reviews are handled appropriately there is no reason for them to be. It can be as stressful as, dare I say, getting a fully capable child to clean and trying to balance being thankful they put in some effort and wanting to be sure it’s done right. My hope is that this post makes you laugh a little. More than that, helps you better understand what your boss goes through and considers as part of writing performance reviews. If you’re the boss, I hope it gives you some tips and tricks to up your performance review season game. Let’s use communication, results, behaviors, strengths, opportunities, and development to make the most of this magical season.

Communicate that Performance Reviews are coming!

I am really big on setting the tone for the team, in a very literal sense. While I certainly can’t control how they feel about anything really I can influence them by sharing how I feel about it. Performance reviews are just one more example of it. Reviews can be stressful and daunting even for the highest performers. Sharing just how excited I am to provide formal feedback and go through the process with them gives them a sense of excitement too. Or, at the very least, gives them an opportunity to laugh at me and laughing as a team will ease the tension too.

Further than just setting the tone and mindset toward performance reviews I encourage action and provide tips for those who want them. Our teams have the opportunity to write self-appraisals. To the team, this is one more thing to get done. So, I remind them that I (and any leader) am forgetful and have a lot of people to be mindful of. I would feel terrible if I missed a critical achievement or project they completed. When writing the self-review I suggest thinking of it in third person. You’re just talking up a friend that you happen to know really, really well. Then, write out what you worked on and what impact it had. Give specific examples of where you shined. Give clear examples of where you improved on any areas of opportunity.

Writing performance reviews for others

As the leader, writing reviews for others, the process is the same with a couple of added expectations. Performance appraisals are not the time to only list all of the challenges a person may have faced. It is also not the time to exclusively point out wins. Beyond that, it’s certainly not the time to share anything new. OK, that was a lot of what not to do, how would you want it to work? Oddly, that is kind of the answer. Imagine yourself in the recipient’s shoes, what would you want to know from the review? The review should feel like a view of the year as a whole of all things you’ve been talking about to date. The best performance reviews are able to be future looking, in addition to the reflection on the prior year. So, how does that look tactically?

Strengths and opportunities

As I said above, there should be a balance of both strengths and weaknesses in a review. (This is one of those times that balance doesn’t mean 50/50. Balance here is a proportionate amount based on performance throughout the year. It will never be all and nothing.) The amount of positive and corrective examples within the review should be reflective of the score. That sounds a little complex but think about it. A review that is overly critical but, in the end, provides a high score is confusing. Worse than that, a review that is very complimentary but results in a poor score leaves the recipient wondering what else they could have done.

Result focused isn’t just for the self-review

There is a school of thought that would have the review and self-review almost feel like a job interview. For example, the employee is expected to fill in the self-review with enough results and accolades that the leader is convinced to give them a high score. I would whole heartedly disagree. It is not the employee’s job to prove their worth in the review process. A good leader will of course read the self-review but then make their own comments based on the results they saw from the employee. If there was effort put in or maybe a style that wasn’t ideal but the end result was positive, the result should be noted.

Likewise, if there was no result to stand on, the review should reflect that as well. This will be an unpopular opinion I’m sure but consider it. You don’t get credit if you put in a ton of effort but nothing ever got done, or done well. Let’s use an example for this that might hit closer to home. If your teenager spent the day cleaning but in the end the house looked like a bomb went off, you’re more likely to call that an opportunity than a strength, right? Because the end result was poor. You need to be specific though. One room being a disaster doesn’t mean nothing was done. That might look like, you never managed to touch the living room or bathroom, but the kitchen is spotless.

Mix some behaviors into the results

I’m sure I’m getting some cocked eyebrows with this focus on results and not mentioning effort. So, I want to take it just one step deeper. It isn’t just results, is it? You start with results in mind and add in consideration for the behaviors. That is where your teenager mentioned above might get a few of their points back. Yes, the house is still a mess, however, I can see that you did vacuum, you just did it before you wiped the counters, so it was dirty again. Or, I appreciate that you dusted, but without picking up the clutter it just doesn’t accomplish what we’re after. Give a nod to the behaviors and note that the result wasn’t what was desired. While I don’t particularly agree with rewarding effort I do believe in rewarding the right behaviors no matter how small they are.

Turn it up a notch with the development goals in mind

Looking to take your performance review and development abilities up a notch? It takes more effort on the leader’s part and sometimes a little creativity, but if you marry development goals with the performance process it’s like icing on the cake. Think of it like this, the employee wants to move up in the same job family. You recognize that their attention to detail is lacking and can sight a few examples where it didn’t hit the mark. Consider what good would look like in the role they’re in. Then consider how it would need to turn up to be considered good in that next role.

For our cleaning example it looks like this. I know you vacuumed the living room but the carpet is still covered in stuff. Vacuum in straight lines and you won’t miss anything. The room will be clean. If you wanted to take it up a notch and maybe earn some money, I’d pay to have all the corners and edges vacuumed and then the carpet shampooed. Understanding what takes it to the next level let’s them decide what to do and what goals to set.

Communicate

Communication starts it out and communication rounds it out. You will need to communicate the results of the review appropriately. I know that sounds basic but it needs to be said. I have had leaders read every word they wrote to me and I’ve had leaders put a paper copy on my desk and walk away. There is some personal style of both the leader and the recipient in this one but I think we can all agree those extremes aren’t acceptable. For what it’s worth, this is my recommendation. Set a meeting to discuss the review. Sent the recipient a copy at least 4-5 hours ahead of the meeting. In the meeting give them the chance to speak first and ask questions. Be prepared to discuss the most important success, challenge, and development point. Allow questions and answer them honestly.

That’s all there is to it

I know, it was a lot. I never claimed this performance stuff would be quick and easy. It’s important and important things rarely are quick and easy. Enjoy the season, take lessons away, and use the information to make the most impact you can. This is a great time of year to dream and take the feedback to a new level by applying it the next step you want to take in your career. If you’re curious how to do that, check out my totally free guide. It has mindset shifts, networking tips, and talking points to get the most out of your career. Check out Taking the Next Step here!