Who doesn’t love a good performance review? I mean, nothing screams exciting like a stuffy room, your boss, and a numerical rating that is supposed to symbolize your performance for an entire year — so fun. Throw in a recession, a pandemic, livestock disease or layoffs in that same year, and you are really headed to an absolute party. But I would be lying if I said I am not one of the strange breed who looks forward to this time of year. I know, I know. I’m weird, but let me finish.

In my role, I have the distinct pleasure of not only receiving a performance review, but giving them to my team as well. And over the years and throughout the changes to my team and role, my method has evolved. And just when I thought I knew exactly what I was doing, I sat in on a presentation about performance reviews that changed my plans for this year just a touch.

Let’s get into it some of the things I like to keep in mind during reviews.

Surprises are a bad thing. If you are hearing about or telling someone about something for the very first time in an annual review, it is time to evaluate the communication you have throughout the year. Your people not only want but truly need to hear from you about their work on a regular basis. This keeps your people engaged and apprised, which promotes growth and satisfaction.

Make it measurable. Each of us starts out the year with goals and objectives, but we should also be able to measure progress toward them. I like to use the “SMART Goals” method. That means whenever possible, goals should be specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timely. It may seem overwhelming to create goals around this concept, there are hundreds of resources online to help. And once you’ve gotten used to it, reviews and coaching are made much simpler and less ambiguous for everyone.

Invite feedback. We are all in the business of retaining the valued members of every team across our businesses. If performance reviews are a one-way street, there cannot be bilateral growth when walking away from the conversation. No matter which side of the table (or screen) you are on, open yourself to the feedback of others. There is a linear path to success when an individual sees constructive, relevant criticism as a means for improvement. Own it.

Ratings should be based on impact, not personality. This was where some extra pieces fell together for me in the presentation I mentioned before. Too often, we base reviews on the person sitting before us, when that is far too subjective. If we pivot to the impact that person has on their peers, customers, and the business, there can be a more consistent process. If “Attitude” is a metric and Roger comes in every day with a smile- what does that mean for the people that work with Roger? How can that be expressed in terms of business results? I’ve been chewing on this and absolutely loving how it redefines the thought process slightly.

I want you each to think about all the reviews you have given and/or received in your career. Every company, every manager, does things a bit differently; that’s a given. But going into these conversations with a mindset for growth and a strategy to get there is going to change how everyone feels leading up to those meetings and walking away from them.

So tell me, do you love review time? What are your best practices? Give the rest of us some more to chew on as we continue to refine our own processes. And let’s not allow this critical time of year pass us by without making it count.

Reduced to numbers

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