Performance Reviews That Actually Improve Performance

Employee performance reviews are one of the most dreaded tasks by most managers. It is hard to win here ? you can never say enough good things, and one word of criticism is generally the only thing they will remember.

Taking the easy way out and just documenting the positive will cause you a lot of trouble if you ever need to fire the employee.

The only way this ever gets better is with a lot of practice, and a pretty thick skin. Think about it this way: a bit of feedback that no one else has the guts to give a poor performer might turn around their whole career. Deliver the negative ? you have to ? but make sure the employee knows there are things they can do about it. For more effective performance reviews, prepare at the time of hire by giving all employees copies of the review forms you use in their orientation packet. An employee who knows how she will be reviewed will direct his behavior accordingly from the beginning of his employment and will probably do all she can to be sure he has good reviews.

In fact, an employee should have copies of all survey and review material that he will encounter over the course of his employment. The perception is what you measure is what you care about. Give a description of how often you use each evaluation tool and how. This is particularly important if your company does 360 degree performance reviews. The purpose of reviews is not to trap employees, but to give them the tools to do their best for the company. Accordingly, your review forms should be created very carefully and should cover actions specific to his skills and responsibilities as well as his people skills with peers and subordinates.

I always do reviews in two parts. The first part is for the employee to fill out two weeks ahead of the actual review meeting. It asks questions like these:

• What could I do to make your work more productive?

• What equipment or training do you need to do your best work that you don't have?

• What could the company change (or add or delete) that would help you do your work better?

• What skills and abilities do you have that you think are underutilized?

• Any other comments or opinions you would like to express?

I have always found that getting an employee to express their feelings first, not only lets them know that you really are interested in their feedback, it also often results in their letting you know what they think their weaknesses are ? meaning you don't have to be the first to bring these things up.

Most employees really want to do good work. And if you think an employee isn't really there to do good work, you shouldn't be reviewing them, you should be letting them go.

About The Author

Jan B. King is the former President & CEO of Merritt Publishing, a top 50 woman-owned and run business in Los Angeles and the author of Business Plans to Game Plans: A Practical System for Turning Strategies into Action (John Wiley & Sons, 2004). She has helped hundreds of businesses with her book and her ebooks, The Do-It-Yourself Business Plan Workbook, and The Do-It-Yourself Game Plan Workbook. See www.janbking.com for more information.

jan@janbking.com

---

10 Fool Proof Ways To Intensify Your Profits

1. Create benefit intensifiers for your list of ad copy... Read More

Time Management Tips for Managers

Late last year I was presenting a workshop for the... Read More

Multiple Channels, Multiple Times

I've just been reading about the frustrations of a Human... Read More

Managing YOUR Expectations

I sit on the board of an organization and at... Read More

Appraisal Interviews: What To Say & How To Say It

STEPS TOWARDS A GOOD APPRAISAL INTERVIEW:Don't say: "You just don't... Read More

Does Your State Like To Keep Your Workers Compensation Secrets Hidden?

Workers compensation secrets are hidden deep within piles and piles... Read More

Plan for Business Success - 6 Reasons to Succession Plan

Succession Planning provides many valuable assets to your business. Yet... Read More

To Thine Own Self Be True--Its Better for Business: What Arthur Andersen Would Say to His Company

As a child, you probably heard, "to thine own self... Read More

5 Questions Great Managers Ask (and they arent hard!)

However hard we try, we seem to make life more... Read More

Discover the Astonishing Power of Words Today!

Picture all the people you know who are dynamic, successful... Read More

When Business Becomes A Battlefield

"We have to be careful it's like a minefield out... Read More

Ten Secrets of Super Successful Meeting Planners

Whoever said that being a meeting planner was easy, lied!... Read More

Business Innovation ? the Value of Structure

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More

The 10 Realities of Change

I've seen several articles that begin with lines like "the... Read More

Cold Water Comments - What They Are and How to Manage Them!

Cold Water Comments - What They Are and How to... Read More

The Leaders Fallacy May Be Howard Deans Undoing

Howard Dean's tenure as chairman of the Democratic National Committee... Read More

Leadership Styles - the Ten Top Qualities the Best Leaders Show

Top leaders...Are Visionary Top leaders have a very clear understanding... Read More

Leadership Skill: How to Handle Difficult Conversations

A good leader has the ability to empower others. It... Read More

Toxic Bosses

What's everyone's favorite topic around the water cooler? Bad bosses!... Read More

Employee Retention: Keeping the People Who Keep You in Business

The retention of highly skilled knowledge workers is one of... Read More

The Top 10 Things They Don?t Teach You In Business School

Here are 10 subjects that academia should be teaching their... Read More

Look Good on Voice Mail

Your use of voice mail tells others a lot about... Read More

Innovation Management ? Six Crucial Steps

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More

5 Steps to Identify Core Processes

Part Two of Creating Well-Defined Processes SeriesNext Week: ImplementationLast week,... Read More

3 Innovation Keys - Do Your Innovative Efforts Need More Power?

Recently, I attended a webinar with nearly 400 other Chief... Read More

Managers Who Spend PR $$ Wisely

If you are a department, division or subsidiary manager, your... Read More

Five Essential Hiring Practices

Recruiting and hiring are often done in haste, leaving the... Read More

Quick Tips On Bringing Out The Best In People

Want to bring out the best in people?Edward W. Smith,... Read More

Stop Waste, Fraud and Abuse

Each year, businesses write-off six percent of revenue to waste,... Read More

How to Dodge Distribution Difficulties

It happened again. I ran into an old friend while... Read More

How to Create an Operations Manual

An operations manual can act as a tool for training... Read More

5 Creative Evolutionary Leadership Niche Strategies!

I have a short story to share with you about... Read More

Three Professional Services Resolutions for 2005

With client expectations higher than ever before, and the gradual... Read More