Awkward Performance Review

Clench your teeth or hit your head but boy this is what it is :) 

One of the challenges in performance appraisals lies precisely in the coupling of evaluation and development in the same session.What happens is when we receive critical feedback in a tough performance appraisal, we often activate defensive routines. It's a self protection mechanism. We stop listening.That's how we protect our ego, our self esteem. 

So, never, couple evaluation and development plan in the same talk. Keep, two separate sessions for it.

So how can you do them well? We’ve identified four key things to remember.

1. Create an open, two-way dialogue. This responsibility lies with both the appraiser and the appraisee. As an appraiser, you can open the review by asking, “So, Lisa, how do you think you are doing?” In a manager-subordinate appraisal, giving the subordinate the initiative at the outset could be important in leveling the playing field and ensuring an open communication process. It is Lisa’s responsibility, however, to come prepared to engage in such discussion. She should have a summary of the projects, tasks, and initiatives in which she was involved and be prepared to discuss her performance. Remember that performance reviews are not just the times when you mindlessly endure others’ evaluating you. It is foremost an opportunity for you to reflect on both performance and potential and emerge a better employee. As a manager, you can help Lisa better prepare for this discussion by asking her to fill out some variant of a performance self-assessment form.

2. Reduce the subjectivity. Many reviews entail some degree of subjective evaluation, but eliminating the subjectivity where possible is key. Some helpful practices here could include direct peer-to-peer comparisons. For example, ask yourself, “How would Lisa compare to Mary?” You can also think of ranking your employees or forcing a distribution. Do not procrastinate on making such assessments and ensure you are rating a manageable number of appraisees. Rushing the process or rating too many people is guaranteed to distort your judgment. Another way to mitigate the downsides of subjective assessment is to consider multiple perspectives. Today, many companies are effectively using 360 evaluations, in which subordinates, peers, and managers all contribute feedback.

Also, use concrete events or behaviors to support your evaluations. A general comment such as “I think you could be putting in more hours” is neither well supported nor impactful. A statement such as “I would have liked to see you around on the two weekends in April when we were finalizing the partnership contract for client A,” however, is both clear and substantiated. To do this during a review, many effective managers keep a folder (paper or electronic) where they file performance-related information for each employee throughout the year.

3. Give constant feedback. Don’t wait for the official performance review period to give or receive performance feedback. In many companies, official reviews happen only once or twice a year. If the employee is not doing well, he or she should not have to wait half a year to find out. Catching undesirable behaviors earlier allows you to correct them more easily. Likewise, encouraging good performance quickly can provide an additional motivational boost.

4. Balance evaluation and development. It’s well known that as humans, we have a hard time accepting criticisms, even if they are constructive. As people get emotional and upset, it becomes incredibly difficult to engage them in creating a developmental plan. A useful practice here is separate the review and developmental sessions over time. So, when opening a review meeting, set the ground rules by noting that today you will discuss performance and next week you will meet for a developmental follow up. This will give the employee time to digest the feedback and think of the ways to use your help down the road.