Performance Reviews

How's everyone doing?

It’s that time of the year.

If you need to conduct performance reviews, consider the best ways to do them.

Some people want the “bullet points” review. They don’t want a lot of sugar-coating or superfluous explanation.

Some people respond best to the “compliment sandwich.” They DO want the sugar-coating—lots of sugar-coating.

No one wants to be publicly shamed. You can praise good work in front of others, but leave the “areas for improvement” for non-public situation.

Some people are okay with the “red pen” treatment—they just need to know what was wrong in order to fix it. But most people do better when they are given templates or walked through a process that they can use to achieve better results.

While a portion of a review should be, well, review, consider emphasizing the coming year. What are they doing now that you’d like to see them do more? What are they learning now that could set them up for new experience and competence? What do THEY want to do in the coming year? Can you find them those opportunities?

Sometimes we get to give people welcome news about raises and/or bonuses in performance reviews. In some cases, however, people are disappointed not to get the money or promotion they expected or hoped to receive. If that is the case, consider how you can set more specific expectations for the coming year, e.g., “If you are looking to be promoted, we will need to see more X, consistent performance on Y, and let’s get you some experience on Z.” Don’t just give them a nebulous “do better” that does not channel their efforts productively.

Consider each person as an individual, and then provide a performance review that sets them up for success in the coming year.

(image generated using Midjourney)