Performance Reviews

It's that time of the year

People stress out about giving performance reviews, and people stress out about receiving them.

Frame your review as a way to motivate your team member. Praise their accomplishments of the past year, and also praise their good efforts. Consider framing shortcomings as “areas for improvement,” and focus on HOW to grow their competencies in those areas, rather than criticizing or punishing.

Inspire them to grow… and make sure you ask what THEY want to accomplish in the coming year. Find ways to tie task assignments and professional goals to their aspirations—give them opportunities to develop skills and experience in areas that will prepare them for the professional growth THEY want in the future.

Don’t assume they want to follow the same career path you have, and don’t assume that their professional development is the top priority in their life. Work to get the best out of the 40-50 hours each week they can reasonably dedicate to their career. Most people will not give extra effort at work if it will unbalance their work/life balance, and a successful performance review will set your team member up for success in the coming year.

(image generated using Midjourney)