There is a lot to learn on both sides from a business review
Performance reviews can be both a daunting and rewarding task for the supervisor and/or the employee. From the employee perspective, their future is determined in part by the result of the review. From the supervisor’s point of view, the relationship with the employee is highly impacted by the review. So how do we make the most of the review regardless of which chair we sit in? Below are several ideas to make this process a powerful success.
For the supervisor
You have the opportunity during the review to really connect with your employee. Understand they are probably nervous about the outcome of the review and how it literally will affect their future. Understand also that the very purpose of your meeting is to “review” the performance of your employee.
Give them honest, straightforward feedback.
If their performance has been stellar, tell them why and thank them for it. I mean, you want more of the same type of behavior from them don’t you so point out the good things that you see and brainstorm how you can get more of that performance.
If their performance has been sub-standard, help them know details of where it needs improvement and give them specific examples of how to improve. Better yet, have them describe to you what can be done to improve their importance based on the feedback you discuss. In this way, they own the improvement rather than being told what to do by someone in authority. Make sure there are specific expectations and milestones of what is needed and arrange for regular follow up to assess the course correction.
If their performance is just average, you have a challenge on your hands. For the average employee isn’t doing anything wrong per se, but what business wants “average” performance from their staff. In this case, use the review to find opportunities together to raise the bar.
If you can leave the review having motivated the employee to try harder, to put in more effort and most importantly, want to be better, you’ve done well. An inspired employee will do wonders for your organization.
For the employee
The review for you is a chance to exercise a little humility and understand where you can improve. Come to your review with specific questions for your supervisor. Ask about what you’re doing right as well as what you’re doing wrong. Don’t be afraid to get granular in your questions. After all, how else can you improve without knowing what to improve.
Most likely, there will be things that will be hard to hear. Realize that by default most reviews have a place where the reviewer must give constructive feedback. It will come in the form of “What can this employee do to improve his performance?” or something similar. There may or may not be legitimate things to fill in here. The point is, understand that your reviewer is trying to help you so accept the feedback as a gift to take and do something with it – hopefully improvement is the end result.
After the review, make sure you actively work on the things that were discussed. Ask for a follow up review to assess your progress and demonstrate your willingness to make improvements.
The hope for you is to leave the review with specific action items that will allow you to improve your performance and help the company. Above all, find happiness in your job and use the review to get you closer to that.
There are many more takeaways that can come from a review. How can you best prepare for a review? What have you learned from the reviews you’ve had? What tips do you have for supervisors? for employees?
Share some of your thoughts in the comments below and good luck at your next review!
