Consider the whole body of work.

Here comes the request… Complete your performance reviews, please! But you have no time, you talk to your team members all the time so they know where they stand, you don’t want to have a tough conversation, or you aren’t in a position to reward someone at the moment with an increase or promotion who thinks they deserve it. It’s awkward and can feel forced. And you have so much to do because it’s the “year of efficiency” (again!) and you have to do more with less. So, can’t we just skip it this time?

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I’ve also had those thoughts but push myself to have these important conversations, because … they’re important! And you know what? Both of us feel so much better after because we both know where we stand, we were able to have a meaningful and authentic conversation about ways to keep growing, and we were able to pause to celebrate some small and big wins. On the receiving side and as a lifelong learner, I appreciate any feedback, so if a performance conversation is skipped, even though I know I’m doing well and appreciated, I feel like I’m less valued. So shouldn’t we take the time to sit down and talk with our team members?

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Sometimes, I hear managers frustrated that they need to stop to complete performance reviews because they think it’s just a paper exercise. For many, especially those who have frequent conversations with their employees on their performance, for example, in the form of after-action-reviews, it can feel like putting words “on paper” is an unnecessary step. But, for those that treat it as an opportunity to pause like many athletes do in between halves, it can be a moment to consider how to adjust the strategy to keep moving down the field.?

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I feel so lucky when I get to see the proverbial lightbulb go off in our managers’ minds. This year was no different when presenting our training on inclusive performance management. While this wasn’t a new topic for most because we offer the training annually as a part of our broader program around DEIB, each time we offer it, something new clicks for a manager or two (or hopefully more!) because they’ve had new experiences and growth in the last 12 months.?

Most of the training I offer incorporates participant interaction because we have such smart and talented people on our team with incredible experiences to share and learn from. This year, one of the managers shared that they went back through their comments and updated them because he was just considering the past few months. This had a dramatic impact on the rating because the employee was recently going through some personal issues that the manager wasn’t aware of but that were impacting the employee’s ability to focus on the job. While we ended up talking through ways to support and redirect the employee, like you would expect, we ensured the performance review included reference to the excellent first part of the review period. Fast forward and the manager shared how by including positive aspects of the?person’s?performance, he was able to remind the employee that he was capable and an important part of the team. The employee was then motivated to rediscover that feeling of pride and has since been doing better, knowing he?feels?supported and could have a vulnerable conversation with his manager.?

A different manager shared how he was concerned about an employee but after thinking about his potential spin on his employee’s motivations, he realized he was applying a perception of what he thought the employee should want instead of considering what the employee actually wanted. Because the employee turned down a promotion based on personal circumstances that didn’t allow her to take advantage of the opportunity, he thought she wasn’t someone he should put effort into. After having some additional conversations, he realized he could still offer stretch assignments because she was interested in growing and learning, just couldn’t take on an entirely new role at the moment.?

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How do you make sure your performance conversations are inclusive, considering the whole person, whole year, and whole body of work??