A Better Idea for Performance Reviews
I have nothing good to say about performance reviews. And I have spent way too much time in my career working on them and trying to ascribe numbers to other humans.
Uggh. Makes me sick to think about the wasted effort.
But, my big hang-up is we have it all backward.
Performance reviews should take the form of a letter we write to our boss every six months. It should cover how we see them as bosses – what’s working, what’s not working, and how they can improve. It should be frank, direct and specific.
If everyone did this – you might start to eliminate fear and psychologically unsafe people from some organizations because every boss would suddenly realize that their boss would get a copy of the letter too.
Servant Leadership
A boss’s job is to ensure the people who work for them understand how they (the boss) can help their reports do a better job for the company and themselves. It shifts the focus on clearing the path, getting obstacles out of the way, and improving working conditions.
When you see a performance review from this lens – only good things can happen.
The best bosses I know always tried to help clear the way for success. They were willing to take advice and criticism – and set the tone for a continuously improving workplace. Instead of command and control – it was consistency clarity and supporting reasonable risk in the service of long-term goals.
I’m no longer an employee, but if I started a business today or went to work for someone, I’d push to turn performance appraisals upside down.
Agree or disagree? Change my mind.
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Photo by TOMMY VAN KESSEL on Unsplash
