Five Myths of Performance Reviews

Five Myths of Performance Reviews

Many managers are stretched thin, juggling multiple priorities, and have little time to reflect on their own career. It can be even harder to carve out the time to give thoughtful feedback to staff.

Yet these myths of performance reviews result in a loss of productivity for you and the department. Instead, invest the time and receive the return on investment.

#1. He already knows where he stands; no news is good news.
Well meaning managers sometimes over-delegate out of respect for staff’s professional skills. They may assign a task that is long range, and not establish clear milestones or give feedback. Statistics show that managers believe they have been clear 80% of the time, and employees do not know where they stand 80% of the time. A performance review is a chance to close the gap.

Sometimes managers make jokes or drop hints believing that staff can interpret the real meaning. This can backfire both ways. Confident listeners may disregard the comment even though it is laden with valuable content and legitimate criticism. Sensitive listeners may interpret criticism where there was none, take it to heart, begin a job search and leave, not knowing they were valued.

#2. Straight talk damages the relationship, or morale
Straight talk is very useful. Sometimes in an effort to be kind, a manager will be so vague that the message is ambiguous. Ambiguity is a big distraction and wastes productivity. Other times a manager is so forceful that the person is demoralized. It’s not the straight talk that damages the morale, it’s lack of respect. The key to an effective review is to give feedback, appreciative and corrective, in a way that is fact-based, non-judgmental, and future-oriented. Let’s look at these 3 steps step.

1. Conversations which open with facts start off with a common understanding. Even criticism which is fact based (i.e. that project was due August 1 and you finished it August 20) is useful.

2. It is a manager’s job to assess the incident, quality or performance but not to judge the person’s character. Judgmental messages cause a person to stop listening, which then stops the flow of information, which results in an ineffective review.

3. If the person was great, what specifically do you want them to continue to do into the future? If the task and projects were not up to standard, what specifically should they do instead? Who should be contacted with a question? Even when the alternative seems obvious to you, be explicit: “Next time this comes up I’d like you do to this instead.”

#3. I don’t have time; it takes too long
Doing a thoughtful review does take time. However there are strategies to make the process more efficient. And more importantly, if your staff person’s performance improves, if delegation is more efficient, if his/her enthusiasm and productivity increases, you have a very high return on investment.

Keep track of monthly reports if you require them; log special accomplishments by staff in your calendar or other tracking system; ask for a self-evaluation. Set up a month-end habit of documenting in a few sentences what really stood out for each staff person’s contribution. And don’t save up criticism; deliver it as soon as possible.

#4. It’s the same as last year

The key to a performance review that makes a difference is to deliver specific concrete feedback. It’s not possible that this year’s review is the same as last year’s because this was a new year. Even if the person’s role is the same, the tasks or projects were different.

If you have worked with this person for many years, presumably s/he is a good performer. Make a point to consider what is particularly unique, not just about the skill set but about the perspective, problem solving approach, contribution to team, or anything else you may appreciate that you haven’t yet articulated. It pays huge dividends for a person to know that his/her manager has noticed core strengths.

#5. I don’t get a review either so why should I give one?
If you aren’t getting quality reviews from your manager, let that inspire you to offer your staff a better role model. At the same time, be sympathetic to the fact that your boss may have had poor role models, be overwhelmed, or distracted. First, check your assumption or judgment of your manager and be sure to align with a common goal.

For example, a common goal may be to make your manager look good. With that perspective in mind, it’s likely you can have a productive conversation. Then take some steps to make it easy. Write up your view of the job, your understanding of key objectives, and the impact of your contributions. Choose timing carefully. And be prepared to listen for learning opportunities.