How to prepare for your next performance review

How to prepare for your next performance review

It has been a while since you heard from me through my newsletter.

After a wonderful summer break and some exciting business and client projects, I feel ready to create practical and impactful content for you all again.

Starting with bringing my YouTube channel back to life :)

I just published my first video after 1.5 years, and it feels exciting to get back into it. I already have three more powerful videos lined up.

So make sure you head to my channel and subscribe so you are the first to know about the new videos coming up.

This week on the channel and in this newsletter, I share

"7 tips on how to prepare for your next performance review"

Probably the most common questions I ever receive are about performance reviews and feedback conversations.

These seem to be the situations where we feel most uncomfortable.

And I get it; these conversations feel difficult. And they have the potential to turn out stressful, frustrating, and defeating for the employee and the manager.

Overall, it comes down to a lack of preparation and practice on both sides.

Feedback conversations and end-of-year reviews are such powerful opportunities to think ahead and empower the employee to lean into their strengths more and grow.

Unfortunately, most individuals do not receive any training when it comes to delivering or receiving feedback.

That is why I love to dedicate time to supporting you on your journey and making these conversations more impactful and LESS stressful.

From an employee perspective, here are some tips on how to best prepare for your next performance review: (Also, check out my latest video for a detailed explanation)

1. Track your achievements throughout the year.

Start a "Ta-da"-list in a simple document where you collect all the things you have achieved and feel proud of throughout the year. It is easy to lose track of your small and big wins over a span of 6-12 months.

2. Prepare for the performance review meeting.

Review your performance objectives for the year and list all your achievements for each item. Collect your evidence.?

Be clear on your strengths and how they have helped you achieve these goals. Also,?provide details on any challenges you faced and where the goal changed throughout the year.?

3. Define your new objectives for next year.

Think about strategic goals for your role and team that you want to achieve next year and why. This will show initiative and that you care about the organization's success and your contributions.

4. Define your development goals for next year.

What is an area within the organization or a certain skill that you would like to learn more about and gain exposure for? Is there a specific training or coaching that you would like to receive, and why?

This is your chance to ask for what you need to grow.

5. Prepare Feedback for your manager.

This conversation is your chance to provide feedback to your manager as well. It is a 2-way conversation.

Think about what support you need. Where do you need more or less? When did they support you well???

How can they help you and set up the right environment for you to be at your best?

6. Emotionally and mentally prepare yourself before you enter the meeting. Take a big breath and check in with your emotions. It is normal to feel a bit nervous. But to be able to have a calm and effective conversation, it is best to regulate your emotions before and throughout the meeting.? Set your intention—how do you want to feel?—and come back to that intention whenever you need it.

7. Stay open for feedback.

Constructive criticism is a big part of performance reviews. And it is also so important because you want to know where you can grow.

You won't have any influence on how well-prepared and skilled your manager is at delivering the feedback. So it is important to prepare yourself and stay open-minded.

In the end, feedback is just information. You alone get to decide how much of the feedback you take on and what you find valuable. Try to separate your emotions and identity from the information and reflect on what you want to take away. Sometimes it can help to create some space and let it sink in before you revisit what was said.

_____

Where do you see your greatest challenges when it comes to performance reviews? What do you think hinders managers and their direct reports in engaging in more meaningful and empowering conversations?

Comment below or send me a direct message. I would love to hear your thoughts.


Have a great week,

Anne



Katrin Dietz

Helping Engineers Create A Better World | für Ingenieurerfolg mit Wirkungsgrad! | Workshops | Beratung und Coaching von Ingenieurin zu Ingenieur || Engineer Consultant

1 年

Thanks for the tips, they hit exactly the point! Unfortunately lot of people - on both sides by the way - are not prepared for this review meetings... To even improve it, you could do the following: As a teamleader in mechanical design, my approach was, that no feedback or information regarding the past should be "new" in these meetings. Meaning: Any room for improvement, any critical feedback and also positive feedback was given to the employee during the year and as close to the situation as possible. They should be familiar with my feedback, no surprises during the performance review! It's just a summary of the past. That's a great base for talking about the future and development goals for the upcoming year.

Flavie Sauve

ANZ Marketing Manager at Gentrack (NZX/ASX: GTK)

1 年

Thanks for the tips, Anne!

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