3 Mindset Shifts to Make Master Performance Evaluations
As we settle into Q4, many of us are thinking about how to make the most of annual, mid-year (or even quarterly!) performance evaluations with our team members. And we should be - according to Gallup, employees who strongly agree that they have had conversations in the past 6 months about their goals and successes are 2.8x more likely to be engaged. At a time when highly engaged employees are 87% less likely to leave their roles, adopting an intentional approach to performance and professional development conversations is definitely worth the effort. Here are some tips to make them effective, impactful, and - eventually - ongoing.
Have a process…but don’t make it about the process - performance evaluations can be nerve-racking for employees, and many will find comfort in knowing what the steps entail, how they will contribute, and how the information generated will be used. Spell this out and ground your people in it before you jump in. As you get going, it’s important to follow the steps you outlined…without showing frustration or being overwhelmed by the process. Remember that how you choose to engage will be noticed and likely modeled by those you manage. If you want them to make the most of these conversations with their direct reports, show them how!
Invest the time - annual evaluations provide opportunities to reflect on the past and plan for the future. I prefer to divide the conversation into these two parts, scheduled within a week or two of each other. Use the first meeting to celebrate the employee’s accomplishments, identify key learnings, and process through any missteps. In the second meeting, you can leverage these reflections to develop performance and professional development goals for the year ahead. As for the quarterly or mid-year check-in, you can likely cover both topics in one meeting, though I recommend having this meeting off-site, over lunch or coffee if you can meet in person. This helps it feel like a different conversation from the typical check-in, which can inspire a deeper dialogue and a more memorable experience for your team member.
Upgrade your partnership - performance evaluation meetings are fantastic opportunities to reflect on your employee-manager partnership. Some questions to consider include: What is working well in our partnership? What could be improved, and how? To what extent are we effectively and efficiently leveraging our check-ins? How can this be improved? In what ways can I support your growth and development next year? Your work with your team member is a partnership, so bring your own thoughts and ideas to this conversation as well. And be sure to follow through on what you agree to, as it sets a tone of ongoing learning, adaptation, and collaboration.
The focus of today’s newsletter is on scheduled performance evaluations, as that is most common and familiar in our space. That said, evaluations that only happen at scheduled times or when things go wrong will not inspire or motivate your team members for the long haul. The real goal is to incorporate continuous coaching and feedback into your working relationships. That takes trust, communication, and teamwork, which take time to build. If this idea feels out of reach for you, consider adding it to your professional development goals and leveraging these resources to support your growth.
