In our last newsletter, we shared some tips for how to prepare for your year-end review. In this follow-up, we’ll cover how to make the most of the actual review discussions themselves.
- Seek input on your team members from others.?Some companies conduct formal 360 review processes prior to year-end review season, but many don’t. Either way, make sure you seek and incorporate feedback from others with whom your team members work. They’ll see your team in a different capacity than you do, and they’ll be able to provide a complementary perspective and reduce the risk of your own biases (and we all have them) creeping into your reviews
- Use the full breadth of your rating system.?Unless your team is absolutely killing it, not everyone deserves the highest rating, or likely even an above average rating. Employees consistently say that they want performance to matter, and the best way to do that is to objectively assess performance vs. goals (ideally outcome-oriented ones) and rate them accordingly. If you want to build a performance culture in your team, differentiated ratings are a must
- Follow a consistent write-up structure. Cover four topics:1. The individual’s performance vs. goals and where they exceeded, met, or fell short2. Observed strengths, highlighting hard and soft skills, behavioral attributes (i.e., how they get their work done), and experience areas3. Development areas, in a similar format as strengths4. Suggested focus for the following year – usually a precursor to next year’s performance goal setting process and some individual development goals
- Make sufficient time for the reviews themselves,?likely 45 -60 minutes per person. At the risk of stating the obvious, these discussions are important to your employees, so give them the time they deserve
- Take a structured approach to the discussion,?covering:1. Performance – a voice-over of your written summary2. Career aspirations – what the individual wants to be doing over the next 2-3 years, and what’s needed to make that happen3. How they’re feeling – about their work, the team, and the company.4. Their development goals – so that you can compare notes relative to your own suggestions5. Clarity on how they fit in – make sure they’re clear on how the work they’re doing supports the company’s strategic objectives6. Diversity, equity, and inclusion – ask how they’re feeling personally on this topic and whether the company is living up to its aspirations7. Feedback from them for you – performance review sessions are a great opportunity to have a two-way discussion and hear their feedback.
- Link pay decisions to performance.?This may sound obvious, but make sure that you are differentiating variable compensation and salary adjustments based on performance,?and also making adjustments that factor in market data (if your company makes that available) and equity across team members performing similar roles and also making?adjustments that factor in market data (if your company makes that available) and equity across team members performing similar roles
- Go into the discussion with a growth mindset and a two-way perspective.We covered this point in the prior newsletter. Don’t just focus on what you’re going to “get.” Focus on what you want to “learn” and what you can “give” as well, such as feedback on how you can perform your current role better and how you can best prepare for your next role. Ideally, you should also organize your thoughts on feedback you’d like to share with your manager (should they ask for it) and your thoughts on how your team, business function, and company are doing.
- Make sure you really understand and reflect on the feedback that’s given. Ask your manager to provide specific examples or instances. Ask what you should do the same or do differently. Ask what resources the company can provide to help you with that, such as training or mentoring. Sometimes true understanding requires a follow-up discussion, and that’s ok. Your manager will want to make sure that you grasp the feedback, so they should be willing to make more time if that’s what’s needed
- Avoid getting defensive or overly emotional.?You may not agree with everything the manager says. That’s normal. But take it in, thank them for the discussion, and then decide for yourself what feedback you want to adopt?
Done well, review discussions leave both the manager and the employee feeling satisfied that the process is thoughtful and fair. Do your part to make sure you get the most out of your own review and the ones you’re doing with your team if you’re a manager.
Recent and Upcoming Podcasts
November 13: Job Search Tips – From Resumes to Offer Negotiation, with
Kolby Goodman
.?Kolby is the founder of The Job Huntr, and he has been coaching professionals on how to grow and succeed in their job search and careers for over a decade. He offers a wealth of advice for when you’re looking for a new job, making this episode a “must listen"
November 20: Software’s Move into the Cloud, with
Dai Vu
.?Dai is a leader in Google Cloud and has worked for Google in a variety of roles for almost 10 years, after previous stints at IBM, Microsoft, and SAP. We’ll talk about the ongoing revolution in the massive and growing cloud services market, as well as Dai’s career journey, daily routines, and thoughts on leadership
November 27: Campfire Lessons for Leaders, with
Tony Martignetti, MBA, PCC
.?Tony is a PathWise coach and advisor, and is the Chief Inspiration Officer of Inspired Purpose Partners, an executive coaching business. We’ll cover the recent Thinkers50 conference, Tony's new book, his work with tech leaders, and his broader career journey.
As always, our “Career Sessions, Career Lessons” podcasts are available through our website
and on all the major podcast platforms, with video versions on PathWise’s
YouTube
channel
Recent and Upcoming Member-Only Content
Career Topics of the Week:
- November 13?–?Negotiation, covering the work of?Chris Voss
?(author of?Never Split the Difference),?William Ury
?(co-author of?Getting to Yes), and much more on a topic that is relevant in almost any role and any industry
- November 20?–?Failure, incorporating the work of?Amy Edmondson
?(author of the recently published?Right Kind of Wrong),
Carol Dweck
, (Mindset) and Peter Senge (The Fifth Discipline), among others
- November 27?–?Emotional Agility, focusing on the work of?Susan David
?in particular, who has written extensively on this topic.
Coaches' Corner - November 22: Steps to Crafting a Cover Letter, featuring PathWise coach
Becca Carnahan
Not yet a PathWise member? Basic membership is free, so join today
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