Performance Reviews: A Leader's Guide to Performance Reviews

Performance reviews are an event to dread for some managers. For others, they are an important tool to boost performance, evaluate employee engagement, and determine yearly progress. To conduct a proper performance review, you should dedicate time and effort to ensure that your review is accurate, fair, and productive. There are numerous other considerations to take into account when conducting reviews. This article will focus on some techniques you can use to make a performance review an opportunity for growth and understanding rather than an obligation to human resources.

Prepare
Spend time preparing the assessment. Make sure you collect the proper data to support your points, and send over the assessment to the appraise before the meeting.

Positive
Focus on positives first. As a manager, it is important to spotlight successes and celebrate them. Your focus on success sets the stage for the rest of the review and helps build a reservoir of goodwill.

Coach
The performance review should be an opportunity to coach rather than to judge. A leader coaches first and foremost. Provide constructive feedback, and coach employees through growth opportunities. Make sure when you provide coaching on mistakes or improvement areas that you try to depersonalize the mistakes and let the other person save face. Only when you focus on the mistake itself can you coach through the issue.

Moving Forward
There is always room for improvement and growth, even with the best employees. Provide a clear expectation and develop a mutual plan for improvement. Revise the current standards, and update for the planned improvements.

The Close
End on a positive note. Make sure there is mutual agreement on a development plan, and give the individual a big image to live up to.

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