Making Performance Reviews Fairer
When was the last time you considered the fairness of your performance review?
Neuroscience teaches us that our brains are wired to seek feedback, and data can be neurally rewarding. Performance reviews provide an opportunity to activate the brain's reward system by providing constructive feedback and recognition.
When feedback is delivered in a supportive and encouraging manner, and even more importantly, an ‘autonomy supporting’ way, it can trigger the release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with motivation and learning.
As leaders and managers, it can be a little daunting to conduct a performance review - even if you’re not on the receiving end of feedback.? Not to mention how our biases can creep in without us knowing about it.?
In this edition of BrainUp, I will share how we can mitigate that and become better leaders and managers in the process!
Our brain on bias:
“Because the criteria for evaluation are so often vague and open-ended, it’s dangerously easy for patterns of bias to creep into the process and for managers to be guided by implicit biases” - Harvard
Your prefrontal cortex, in particular the orbitofrontal cortex, is involved in what’s called appraisal. This is basically taking all the inputs that you see in your surroundings and evaluating and comparing them in relation to what else is going on inside your head - your current state of mind, your past experiences, and your future goals.?
This can then help guide your decisions and actions, making sure you make the best choices depending on the situation.
But sometimes, we can get clouded by our perceptions and judgements. This can ultimately influence how we do our performance reviews.
Making performance reviews fairer
So how can we make our performance reviews fairer overall and not allow our brain’s natural bias to come into play?
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Each person's brain is unique, resulting in different processing styles and preferences. Recognizing and valuing all types of diversity, including neurodiversity, allows for individualised approaches to feedback and development. Managers and leaders should consider adapting their feedback delivery to accommodate different individual needs and processing preferences, catering to the specific needs of each employee. This inclusivity enhances the fairness and effectiveness of performance reviews.
A growth mindset that believes in the capacity for improvement can enhance the impact of performance reviews and make them fairer. When employees understand that their abilities can be developed with effort and dedication, they are more likely to embrace feedback as an opportunity for growth rather than viewing what you tell them as criticism. Encouraging a growth mindset within performance reviews can foster a culture of continuous improvement.
None of us are perfect. Yet some are more aware of and comfortable acknowledging weaknesses than others. To reduce people’s threat response when delivering feedback, it can be helpful if they know you don’t think you’re better than them. We can be very status sensitive. People will be able to listen better if they believe this information can help them, and they’re not being judged because they are not perfect. We’ve supported many companies in improving their feedback culture and building stronger performance review processes. This normally couples best with ensuring your managers and leaders have the required skills (covered in our Optimising Leaders and High Impact Manager Programmes).?
Check out more top tips in my book ‘How to Make Your Brain Work’ Order your copy here.
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Podcast Host | Soulful Self Mastery & Mindfulness Coach
1 年Hi Amy, long time no see... I found this a great read, especially as I am just about to do some performance reviews / observations on some coaches I am working with. I think the idea of hierarchy can sometimes get in the way of us all learning and growing - together! Thank you for the reminder to make the people I will be observing know that "I don't think I am - better than them". This is key in having them be open to my observations. And letting them know that I am also open to their observations, whether they are officially observing me, or simply sharing something they have observed. I believe it can be a two way flow... :-) It is important to ask ourself our intentions behind us sharing what we are sharing as well. Sometimes I have found that people sharing 'not very nice / spiteful things' are doing so because actually, they are low in self-esteem for example, and it makes them feel better putting someone else down. If we come from a growth mindset and think about - for example - how are we serving our clients, are we offering value, how can we improve to give them the best possible service? This I believe is a great place to come from...
Elite Performance Coach at TalkSales (Europe) Limited & International Key Note Speaker ?????????? ??07869134802
1 年Thanks Amy some brilliant insights to help navigate the appraisal & review discussions particularly the bit of not giving the impression your smarter than them ‘ as a coach and mentor this is almost my ‘default mode’ this is something i need to reflect on & how I can change this ?