(Second in a series for Managers – to end this year and prepare for next year)

It is that time of year…to write the annual performance reviews for your direct reports. Since you started the year by giving the team clear goals and objectives, kept great notes, met formally each quarter, and have had a variety of spontaneous one-on-one interactions with your team, it should be pretty easy. Wait, you mean performance management is an annual event for you? You need to continue reading for some help!

After all, it IS your ethical responsibility to give a fair and balanced performance review to each of your team members. Yes, ethical responsibility.

THE BAD REVIEW

That is the review written without the employee in mind. The one that won’t ruffle any feathers, can’t be argued by the Human Resources representative or the employee, and doesn’t make you look like a buffoon manager. In other words, like the following sample, one that isn’t worth the paper it is written upon.

FROM THE DESK OF THE EVIL HUMAN
RESOURCES DIRECTOR:

Performance Appraisal for Mr. Bob Jones:
Many wonder at the extent of his knowledge. Mr. Bob Jones has name recognition throughout the divisions. It’s tough for management to keep up with Mr. Bob Jones and he shows an interest in related tasks not assigned to him. The quality of his work is well known. In fact, no one has caught him sleeping on the job. The record should state that the possibility of hiring more employees like him should be discussed immediately. Not surprisingly, Mr. Bob Jones makes decisions with minimal direction and he works behind the scenes.

This review is from the Dilbert Performance Review Generator. This kind of vague, generalized appraisal should never end up in someone’s permanent employment record.

WHY WRITING REVIEWS IS SO HARD

If you haven’t kept in contact with your team via regular performance review sessions, feedback, goal reviews, etc., the year-end review could feel confrontational. It is challenging to hold someone accountable for specific outcomes if you haven’t outlined what the goals are for them. Most employees feel like reviews are negative and don’t matter much except to get their merit increase. Which, by the way, should be a separate discussion from the performance review.

WHY WRITING GOOD REVIEWS IS SO IMPORTANT

1. It is the best way to engage your team (productivity)
2. Your best will know where they stand (retention)
3. Your worst will know where they stand (improvement or movement)
4. You will know what your team is capable of (execution)
5. Department goals will be accomplished (focus and success)

HOW TO WRITE A GOOD PERFORMANCE REVIEW

1. Start with S.M.A.R.T. goals: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Reasonable, Time-bound.
2. Come to an agreement with you employee on what success looks like. How will both of you know you’re ‘there’?
3. Ensure line of sight from your employee’s goals, to your goals, the department goals, the company goals. Alignment is key to engagement.
4. Keep the merit increase discussion separate from the performance review discussion. If you do not, you’ll most likely get one of two results:
a. you’ll tell the employee up front what their annual increase will be and their joy or anger will shut them off from hearing the performance review.
b. you’ll wait until the end of the performance discussion to share the merit increase news, and the employee will be so focused on the news they will race through the discussion and not give the focus and commitment needed to make it valuable.

WHAT TO DO IF YOU DIDN’T PREPARE

So you didn’t start the year by giving the team clear goals and objectives, kept great notes, meet formally each quarter, and had a variety of spontaneous one-on-one interactions each employee. What do you do?

1. Ask for help. This is why most companies have human resources staff.
2. Check out some articles – there is a great one linked for you below.
3. Have an open, honest discussion about the goals you set for the past year – and how best to agree on the review.
4. Don’t make the same mistakes as last year. Let go of them! (see my first post in this series)

Now go make good on the commitment to your team you chose to honor when you decided managing people was a great career decision!
________

For more on writing outstanding performance reviews, read Mark Goulston’s article titled, “When Performance Reviews Underperform” in FastCompany Magazine online.

Next: why managing people is your most important work.

Joe Raasch :: Nov.20.2007 :: Leadership, Performance Management :: 4 Comments »