You're conducting a performance evaluation for your IT team. What are some common mistakes to avoid?

Proper Preparation is required which includes : - Criteria - Data and related proof - Face-to-face communication (For small/medium organizations) - Meeting with Vertical hierarchy in the top to bottom manner (For Large organizations) - The team should be informed well in advance about the timing of the Meeting

- Setting clear goals to each and every team member that helps you to evaluate their performances - Not being biased by considering on the most recent events be it positive or negative - The evaluation should be about Job related skills and behaviour and not personal traits - Post evaluating, ensuring to keep it in Black and White for future references - Try not to highlight all or only weaknesses. Should always create a plan to help them improve - Open Communication is very important as Performance Evaluations should be 2 way - Shouldn't wait for 6 months or 1 year to provide any feedbacks. Keep sharing constructive feedbacks for them to accept your feedback and to work on the same.

Not preparing enough for performance evaluations is a common mistake. Drawing from my experience, inadequate preparation can lead to subjective assessments and overlook key achievements or areas for improvement. Prior to evaluations, I ensure to gather relevant data, review past performance, and establish clear evaluation criteria. This enables fair, constructive feedback and promotes professional growth within the IT team.

Not involving the team in performance evaluations is a common mistake. Drawing from my experience, excluding team members from the evaluation process can lead to disengagement and undermine trust. To avoid this, I prioritize soliciting self-assessments and feedback from team members. This fosters transparency, encourages ownership of goals, and facilitates constructive dialogue, ultimately enhancing team morale and performance.

Before conducting a performance evaluation, leaders need to establish standards that make sense to the team, their roles and experience level, and their functions. If you do not involve the team beforehand, you risk catching your team off-guard. They are likely to see you not as someone working with them, but as someone working against them. This adds defensiveness, disengagement, and distrust to the team dynamic. There's a strong link to a team's trust in you and their performance under you. To prevent defensiveness, disengagement, and distrust, involve your team. Show them that you value their input, concerns, and suggestions. Make it a two-way communication, and you're likely to benefit from a team that trusts you.

Not being specific and objective in performance evaluations is a common mistake. Based on my experience, vague feedback can lead to misunderstandings and hinder professional development. To address this, I ensure to provide specific examples of achievements and areas for improvement, supported by measurable metrics. By fostering clarity and objectivity in evaluations, I promote growth and accountability within the IT team.

Not focusing on the future during performance evaluations is a common mistake. From my experience, dwelling solely on past performance overlooks opportunities for growth and development. I ensure to discuss future goals, career aspirations, and areas for skill enhancement with team members. By setting clear expectations and offering support for professional advancement, I foster a forward-looking approach that motivates and empowers the IT team to excel.

Not recognizing and rewarding achievements during performance evaluations is a common mistake. Based on my experience, failing to acknowledge team members' contributions can demotivate and decrease morale. To avoid this, I prioritize highlighting successes, providing constructive feedback, and offering appropriate rewards or recognition. By celebrating accomplishments and demonstrating appreciation, I cultivate a positive work environment that encourages continuous growth and performance excellence within the IT team.

Performance reviews backfire when done infrequently and in isolation from other events. So, if you have an objective-setting session at the start of the year, with nothing in between, and a review at the end of the year against those same criteria, you're going to get pushback, and rightly so. Events, objectives, and priorities are constantly changing, so the only way to record and adjust to these changes is to conduct at least quarterly reviews, if not weekly and bi-weekly. Ensure a record is kept of achievements and decisions, otherwise you won't remember why certain things were postponed or not delivered against when the time comes for a revewi.