360 Performance Review

Performance Reviews That Work

Problem: Annual performance reviews are a necessary part of a manager's job. Yet many managers hate doing them and tend to procrastinate about getting them done. They think that the reviews are too time consuming and they tend to believe that the reviews don't create real change in their employee's behavior.

So the issue here is: How can you do performance reviews that are both easy and effective?

Solution: Doing performance reviews is very much like doing your taxes. If you don't keep careful records of your finances on a regular basis, April 15th can be a nightmare. But if you are disciplined this way, then the deadline is relatively easy.

Similarly, if you do "mini" performance reviews throughout the year and keep good records of what happened, the annual review can be a breeze. And the real benefit of doing it this way is that this approach will encourage the kinds of changes you want in your people.

Begin by meeting with each of your people:

Agree upon an aspect of their behavior that needs improvement;
Define it in a tangible way so it will be clear whether they've done it or not;

Meet again in a week or two to find out how they did.

Create a simple log on your PC that lists the date of each meeting, the issue they're working on and the progress they've made. Write it in such a way that you can cut and paste the relevant sections on a review form. When you do the review, focus on what they've done right and what still needs to improve in the next year.

As they improve, continue to do these mini reviews with your people once per month, and quarterly thereafter.

You'll be pleased with the results.

Example: A government manager really resisted doing the annual reviews for his people. He hated all the time it took. And his people had a number of behavioral problems that needed to be cleared up. I was brought in to help him. I showed him how to do these mini reviews on a regular basis.

Results: The review process become much easier for him. He reduced the time he spent on it from 1 to 1 1/2 days to just half a day. And the regular reviews helped him clear up his people's behavioral problems as well.

Summary: This process may seem like a lot of work at first glance. But it will actually get you to really focus on the key part of your managerial responsibilities: coaching your people for better performance. And it will make their annual reviews much easier because you'll already have recorded virtually everything you need to say.

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Michael H. Smith, Ph.D.
5801 Leona St., Ste A
Oakland, CA 94605

Tel: 510-530-7900
Fax: 510-530-7922
Email: MHSmith@MichaelHSmithPhD.Com