As Q1 draws to a close, if you manage people you’re probably wrapping up performance reviews. The most effective review and feedback processes include conversations about talent management. That means you’re thinking about things like:
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How people are performing, and sharing specific feedback with them.
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What support employees need for ex. better tools, professional development, mentorship.
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What’s next for those on the cusp of a promotion or ready for a new challenge.
Whether you do reviews annually, semi-annually, or quarterly (or skip reviews altogether in favor of check-ins), identifying specific actions to take once calibration is done is a best practice. Assigning clear next steps and owners is the best way to ensure managers follow up promptly, and that each employee gets honest, accurate feedback. After all, if reviews don’t generate meaningful conversations, what’s the point?
Here are three actions you can take to make sure you’re saying what people need to hear.
Show Appreciation
Too often during performance reviews we neglect our best performers, the people who do stellar work every day with limited direction. When you think about those team members it probably sounds like “They’re good, they’ve got this,” which is exactly what makes them so valuable. It’s important that you take every opportunity to re-recruit your top performers, and expressing appreciation is one way to do that.
- Tell them they’re doing a great job. Recognize progress, don’t wait for perfection. Saying “great job” doesn’t cut it. Instead give specific, meaningful feedback like “The way you anticipated challenges in that project and got ahead of them not only impressed the client, it made my job easier.”
- Share their impact. People love knowing they’ve had a meaningful impact. It makes work more satisfying and connects them to a greater sense of purpose. Tell people how their work is helping you personally, and helping the company meet its goals.
- Give gifts! It’s nice to be recognized, and even a small thank you goes a long way. The price tag does not have to be big. How about sending a complimentary email, text, or a handwritten card? If you do have money to spend, some of our favorite places to shop for gifts at Reverb include THNKS, Bite Society, and Happy Box.
Develop People Intentionally
Perhaps the most important thing you can do following reviews is identify customized development opportunities for people on your team. Whether someone is having trouble meeting expectations, knocking it out of the park, or nearing a promotion, you should be able to offer up one or more ways to support their growth.
- On the job learning (OTJ): If you think about how you’ve grown over the years, it’s likely that more than fifty percent of what you learned took place on the job. OTJ learning includes leading key projects, job shadowing, job rotations, and even filling in for someone who’s on leave. Other ways to grow people are to help them become a mentor, or let them manage an intern.
- Training and Workshops: When multiple people have a common need such as improving delegation, project management, or presentation skills, that’s a perfect opportunity to invest in a group training or a series of workshops. Training is a cost effective way to address developmental needs that are shared by multiple people or departments.
- Coaching: Everyone from senior leaders to people who are new in role can benefit from one on one or small group coaching. Coaching enables people to delve deep into the things they want to learn, form better habits, and overcome what’s holding them back. Coaching provides a confidential space to discuss topics that might feel too risky to share in a group setting.
Be Candid
When I was an HR Business Partner, I once had the task of reading over sixty performance reviews. I looked at reviews for the top performers, and those who were falling below expectations. In both cases, the message was often murky. If I didn’t already know what rating or description had been assigned (Meets, Exceeds, etc.) I literally could not have guessed. Reviews for high performers were not glowing, and those for lower performers lacked clear feedback and next steps.
- What is the key message you want this person to take away? If you don’t know what you want to say, then it surely won’t come across to your employee. Set your intention first by writing down a couple sentences about what you’d like them to take away, and how you want them to feel after the review. Include that message at the beginning of the document and in the summary, along with supporting examples.
- If someone is doing well, praise them. Remember no employee is perfect, and no one ever had a perfect year. They may have made mistakes and even struggled with one or more goals. But your top performers are just that. These are the people who do great work, have a positive impact, and model company values. Tell them so.
- If someone is struggling, tell them. Most humans are conflict avoidant, and sometimes in an effort to be “nice” we do people a disservice. If someone is not meeting your expectations, they deserve to know. If their job is at risk, they really deserve to know that. When you give critical feedback, be ready to talk about how they can improve, and how you plan to support them.
Overall, the best performance review or checkin processes generate candid, meaningful conversations between people and their managers. As an organization, it’s important to get aligned about feedback and next steps. The role of the manager is to pass on that feedback in a way that is both clear and kind (to quote Brené Brown). When you’re ready to deliver the performance feedback, be direct, and plan at least one actionable next step for each individual to make it count.
