9 Ways to Excel at Year End Performance Reviews
9 Ways to Excel at Year End Performance Reviews
Dread performance reviews? Here are 9 things you can do to make this year a positive experience for you and those you manage.
- Take it Seriously
As a manager, your approach to performance reviews impacts your employee’s self-esteem, career and livelihood. Show your staff they are valuable contributors and give performance reviews the time and attention they deserve. As an employee, put the effort in to formalizing your performance results even if you feel that your manager and perhaps even the organization don’t take these reviews seriously. You are the master of your own destiny and you’re worth taking the time to review how you’ve done and where you go from here. It’s worth the effort to develop the self-discipline of doing this for yourself even if it’s not a formalized process where you work. If you are in this situation, you can still create a positive review by discussing the gap and discussing ways to improve in the future.
- Know What to Expect
It’s amazing how many people go in to a review unsure of what will happen, what’s going to be discussed and where they stand. Managers should set expectations ahead of time and inform employees of important information – what is expected, what needs to be prepared, what the discussion will focus on.
- Have Clear Goals?
To evaluate performance against goals, you need clearly defined goals that are aligned with organizational objectives. Whether you’ve prepared a formal goals document or you have them in your head, we all have goals that drive our work every day. Take a step back and think of why you do
what you do and why it’s important to the organization. Does your work have value for the organization? Has it helped you or others grow? Did you meet your goals, exceed them or miss them? Are you working on the right things in the right way? Are your goals specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely (SMART)?
- Toot Your Own Horn
This is your time to shine. In describing your performance against goals be specific. This is the time to demonstrate what makes you unique and valuable to the organization. For each goal, describe the situation, what specific skills you used, provide quantifiable results (use metrics where possible) and explain what the result was to the company and why it should matter to them – did it save money, grow the business, help someone in the organization develop?
- Missing the Mark
What if you had a goal but did not meet it? People learn and grow from mistakes and failures – it’s called feedback and it can be very valuable, if we use it for positive growth and learning. If this has happened to you, describe it as above – what was the situation, what specifically did you do, what skills did you use, what was the result, what did you learn and what will you do differently next time? As a manager, be prepared to provide coaching and support for someone on your team who may have missed a goal.
- The 360-Degree Mirror
360-degree feedback refers to broad, well-rounded feedback from people other than a direct manager. It captures feedback from those who work with you and avoids a one-sided opinion. Be proactive and provide a list of names your manager may not be familiar with. Managers should always solicit this feedback. If you manage a people manager, be sure to get feedback from their staff. Often this is overlooked. How can managers be evaluated on their people management skills without any inputs from their people?
- No Surprises
A performance review is a discussion. Hopefully you’ve been having these throughout the year and both manager and employee know where things stand. There shouldn’t be any surprises at a performance review but it’s shocking how often this isn’t the case. Surprises hurt people and lead to difficult discussions that are often poorly handled, hence the dread. Jack Welch, former chairman and CEO of General Electric, emphatically believes that employees deserve to know where they stand in the organization at all times. They deserve the truth about what they are doing well, what they are not doing well and they deserve to have someone help them develop a plan for improvement. If you are in this situation, you can still create a positive review by discussing it openly and collaborating on ways to improve the process going forward.
- Be Open
Be open and honest; however, be sensitive and straightforward. Remember, people deserve to know where they stand, but they don’t deserve to be crushed or disrespected. Employees should be open and receptive to feedback. You may hear something that is difficult or you disagree with. Try to not react emotionally. Sit with it for a day or two then reconnect with your manager to discuss. Initial information may be hard to accept, but with a few days perspective, we usually find truth in the message and then it’s up to us to work with our managers, coaches, or mentors to find a way to learn, grow and improve.
- A New Start
Once you’ve successfully completed this year’s performance review, it’s time to get ready for next year. Take time over the holidays to look back and see how this year went and what you would like to do differently in the future. Think about what you want and need to accomplish next year. In January, aim to develop written goals that will get the new year moving in the right direction. Schedule regular check-ins with your manager to review progress and stay on track. Then when next year’s mid-year and year-end reviews roll around, you will be well prepared, confident and ready for a positive, progressive discussion instead of a dreaded one.
Wishing you continued success!
Stay tuned for upcoming articles on SMART goal setting, planning and time management
to help you achieve and exceed your goals in 2015.
Comments
Thank you. This was very helpful. I’ve been dreading my performance review that’s coming up, and I am definitely going to have a better experience after reading and understanding your insights. I’m much more prepared now and more confident. Thank you.