Nobody much likes performance evaluation systems. Managers find them unworkable and uncomfortable. Workers dread them. And many experts think we should scrap them altogether.
But for anybody who is a working manager you do not get much choice. You have got to do performance evaluations on your people using the system your organization has in place.
Start by understanding that you will discover really two different issues which go by the name, "performance evaluation." One of those things is your organization's formal performance appraisal process.
Do whatever you must to deal with your organization's evaluation system. You need to work with what ever system your organization has devised. Someday you might be able to change it, but not now. Devote your time and energy to making the system deliver good results.
Although the formal system is only involved in the story. Usually the evaluation that happens there is like a report card. It's a summary judgment of performance that took place over a length of time.
Give notice should you have to start documenting behavior. Generally speaking, your suggestion to change behavior or performance will be informal. That means you won't need to document. And most of the time your suggestion and coaching will result in improved behavior.
But sometimes you'll need to let folks realize that they are not doing well enough. Should they keep doing what they are doing, you are going to have to start documenting their behavior. Let them know before your start.
Then, if you must document, do some things. Keep good records of the performance or behavior that you're tracking. Be specific about what happened, when and where.
Keep good records of your counseling meetings with your subordinate. What did you say? What did he or she say? How did you agree that things would change?
Making small course corrections on the way has a few of advantages. For starters, small corrections are far simpler to make than big ones, so your odds of a successful outcome go up.
Second, by making small corrections and documenting your counsel and your subordinate's behavior, you have got the issue on the table. When the time arrives for formal performance evaluation, your subordinate will know where he or she has come up short. And you are going to know what they've got to say about how they're doing. No surprises.
Take enough time within the formal session. In one organization where I did research we compared the time that top supervisors devoted to the total annual performance appraisal meeting to the time that other supervisors took. The very best supervisors spent almost two times as long in the formal session as their less-effective peers.
Nevertheless, if there were not any surprises, what did they spend time on? They discussed growth as well as the future. That's more enjoyable and a lot more productive than going over what did and didn't happen since the last review.
Make agreements on what shall happen next. Be sure you leave the formal performance evaluation session with a clear plan for how your subordinate will develop throughout the next period and what you are going to do to help.
Set milestones for your agreements. Determine which will do what and what the deadlines are. Determine how performance should change.
Here's what to remember. The performance evaluation that makes an impact takes place every day, every time you encounter someone who works for board effectiveness you. If you take every chance to coach, counsel, encourage and correct your people, and if you document where you must, there will be no surprises at evaluation time. Then you can use the evaluation period to help people grow and develop.
But for anybody who is a working manager you do not get much choice. You have got to do performance evaluations on your people using the system your organization has in place.
Start by understanding that you will discover really two different issues which go by the name, "performance evaluation." One of those things is your organization's formal performance appraisal process.
Do whatever you must to deal with your organization's evaluation system. You need to work with what ever system your organization has devised. Someday you might be able to change it, but not now. Devote your time and energy to making the system deliver good results.
Although the formal system is only involved in the story. Usually the evaluation that happens there is like a report card. It's a summary judgment of performance that took place over a length of time.
Give notice should you have to start documenting behavior. Generally speaking, your suggestion to change behavior or performance will be informal. That means you won't need to document. And most of the time your suggestion and coaching will result in improved behavior.
But sometimes you'll need to let folks realize that they are not doing well enough. Should they keep doing what they are doing, you are going to have to start documenting their behavior. Let them know before your start.
Then, if you must document, do some things. Keep good records of the performance or behavior that you're tracking. Be specific about what happened, when and where.
Keep good records of your counseling meetings with your subordinate. What did you say? What did he or she say? How did you agree that things would change?
Making small course corrections on the way has a few of advantages. For starters, small corrections are far simpler to make than big ones, so your odds of a successful outcome go up.
Second, by making small corrections and documenting your counsel and your subordinate's behavior, you have got the issue on the table. When the time arrives for formal performance evaluation, your subordinate will know where he or she has come up short. And you are going to know what they've got to say about how they're doing. No surprises.
Take enough time within the formal session. In one organization where I did research we compared the time that top supervisors devoted to the total annual performance appraisal meeting to the time that other supervisors took. The very best supervisors spent almost two times as long in the formal session as their less-effective peers.
Nevertheless, if there were not any surprises, what did they spend time on? They discussed growth as well as the future. That's more enjoyable and a lot more productive than going over what did and didn't happen since the last review.
Make agreements on what shall happen next. Be sure you leave the formal performance evaluation session with a clear plan for how your subordinate will develop throughout the next period and what you are going to do to help.
Set milestones for your agreements. Determine which will do what and what the deadlines are. Determine how performance should change.
Here's what to remember. The performance evaluation that makes an impact takes place every day, every time you encounter someone who works for board effectiveness you. If you take every chance to coach, counsel, encourage and correct your people, and if you document where you must, there will be no surprises at evaluation time. Then you can use the evaluation period to help people grow and develop.