Annual performance reviews, evaluations, ratings, and assessments are all terms that may conjure fear in the hearts of both evaluators and evaluatees alike. To some, there is almost nothing worse than imagining an uncomfortable conversation that may be charged with emotion and fear of the unknown. It doesn't have to be that way.
Significant investments in feedback systems and processes have been made and many approaches have been tried in many environments – some work well, but many still don’t. It’s clear there is no single “silver bullet” model that works for everyone. There are, however, some fundamentals and tips that can make a real difference.
In a perfect world, feedback would be continuously and freely shared in all directions all the time and there would never be any “surprises.” The reality is that not everyone is naturally great at developing and delivering feedback. Additionally, the economic uncertainty and instability of recent years lingers in the minds of some. There may be hypersensitivity on the part of those who may view feedback processes as the first step in preparing to downsize. This of course underscores the importance of making sure your strong performers know they are doing well in your view.
Another reality is that there is indeed other day-to-day work to be done – effective feedback is an investment that takes some time and isn’t the sole reason enterprises are in business. However, I would suggest that the more you practice both the art and the science of feedback, the easier it will become - and it will make your life easier! The performance of those you manage and to whom you delegate will continuously improve. Your delegatees will be able to work more independently. The time you need to devote to supervision and addressing performance issues will decrease. Net-net, it is indeed a very good investment.
Feedback can be categorized as:
- Formal vs. informal
- Evaluative vs. developmental
- Downward, upward, peer, 360, etc.
Assessment objectives - As a starting point, it's important to be honest in identifying and recognizing your objectives – for example:
- Do you strive to be a learning organization where people feel more "coached" than "evaluated?"
- Is your culture that of “up-or-out” high-performance where differentiating performance is critical to your operating model?
- Do you strive to be an employer-of-choice where people feel secure but also expect to be recognized and rewarded for their achievements?
Some of your objectives may be more synergistic than others. To the extent they are not, your feedback mechanisms may need to be multi-dimensional. For example, you may want to consider an evaluative rating scale/approach for differentiating overall results and a developmental scale/approach for assessing specific competencies.
Objectivity vs. subjectivity – As an organization and as feedback providers, the more definition you put around the competencies required and the results expected in a role; the more objective your assessment of performance can and will be.
Expectations and results – If you have taken the time to set and communicate clear expectations, results are much easier to assess and feedback is much easier to deliver. There should be fewer “surprises” and disconnects.
What are “results” in your organization? Are you assessing the achievement of goals? The demonstration of competencies? Often, a hybrid definition is most effective and may vary by employee level/experience. For example, a continuum that emphasizes competency development during more formative stages when people are skill-building and gradually shifts to greater emphasis upon results and goal achievement may make sense in some environments.
Ratings - Performance rating approaches are all over the board in practice. Some organizations have even done away with the concept of ratings all together. Others have adopted complex multi-point scales with “plus/minus” options that, in my view, often imply a false sense of precision. And there is everything in between…
One theory is that we all grew up going to school where letter grades were awarded and that we maintain a “need” to know where we stand and in fact crave “grades.” Another theory is that ratings can get in the way of a lot of things and that the exhaustive process required to “get them really right” with consistency doesn’t produce a satisfactory ROI for anyone – the organization and its people. Some organizations have gotten into trouble by using ratings to perform forced rankings of employees for use in compensation, promotion, and other decision-making. The process is sometimes perceived as being secretive and too subjective. Some companies have even faced legal issues that have proven challenging to defend if their processes are deemed flawed or discriminatory in some way.
Under any scenario, it is important to be able to explain how ratings are determined - and equally important, how they will be used. Will they be directly linked to compensation/reward decisions? Promotion decisions? Other decisions?
Gathering feedback – In heavily-matrixed, project-based organizations; individuals may work for a variety of different people throughout the course of a year. That could mean that your job as a feedback provider may be more complex – instead of relying solely upon your own direct observations of work and performance, you’ll need to synthesize multiple points of view into a message your feedback recipient can understand and find credible. Your organization may have an automated system that does some of the work for you – or you may need to do some due diligence by having conversations with others for whom your feedback recipient has worked. Under any scenario, if you don’t fully understand the feedback you are synthesizing, you won’t provide an effective feedback message.
- Data-rich / low-touch – Some organizations make investments in elaborate systems that provide continuous flows of performance data. The data may be very helpful in measuring and assessing performance; however, numbers alone rarely tell the whole story.
- Data-poor / high-touch – Feedback that isn’t supported by anything beyond hunches may fall flat even if you have a conversation about them. Feedback recipients will expect some degree of justification and support for ratings in particular – and especially when those ratings are below what they were expecting.
Developing and structuring the feedback message - I’ve always believed we owe all employees as much clarity as we can possibly muster and have found it helpful to group assessment feedback into three categories:
- Strengths (most people have at least a few; some have many)
- Performance issues – weaknesses or deficiencies that need to be addressed in order to continue in a role; they tend to be non-negotiable (not everyone has these; hopefully, a relatively small percentage). These are never fun to discuss; however, it is critical to differentiate them from development opportunities as described below. “Sugarcoating” does no one any favors.
- Development opportunities – observations and ideas for strengthening performance, taking it to the next level, and progressing in the organization (everyone – even the highest performing – has these). They represent the interest we take in employees to further invest in their achievement and success. A development opportunity may become a performance issue if it is or becomes critical to job performance and an employee has not made satisfactory progress in developing it.
Delivering “formal” feedback – As with so many things, if you have done your homework and are confident in your message; you will be more comfortable and more effective in delivering feedback. If you are not prepared, you will be awkward and more likely than not, give ambiguous messages. Carving out time for a conversation without distractions is very important. Feedback delivered on-the-run or in a setting with distractions and interruptions sends a signal that you don’t really care all that much about the process – or the person. While not ideal, sometimes feedback does need to be delivered over the phone out of necessity. Email may be an efficient way to share supporting materials, but an email message by itself is not an appropriate or effective formal feedback delivery mechanism.
Informal feedback – The opportunities to provide and receive informal feedback are precious – don’t miss or ignore them! This is the feedback delivered in the course of performing day-to-day work. Rather like developing and communicating clear expectations, informal feedback helps mitigate “surprises” during formal feedback processes and conversations. This presents the real opportunity to coach! Not only can performance/behavior be adjusted more immediately as needed, it is a powerful way to keep your strong performers inspired and engaged.
Approach and style – Style isn’t as simple as being “nice” or “mean.” I’ve found this imagery helpful in working with feedback providers who seek to integrate coaching behaviors into their style:
- Picture yourself as a judge wearing a black robe in a courtroom delivering a performance rating “sentence.”
- Now picture yourself as a coach (pick your favorite sport or activity) working alongside an athlete or a performer - helping him/her take technique to the next level.
How would your style be different in those two scenarios? How would your dialogue be different? (A coach might ask questions like: “What’s going well? What do we need to work on? What can we take to the next level...?” Not to worry, you are not relinquishing control as a feedback provider in asking these questions. Rather, you are initiating and building dialogue that will lead to and result in effective feedback.)
Receiving feedback – You’ve worked hard, you think you’ve done everything right, you really rang the bell this time – but your feedback provider just surprised you by giving you a lower than expected evaluation. It can be easy to become defensive, but that more than likely won’t serve you well. On the other hand, seeking to understand and ensuring that the record is accurate are valid and in fact important.
If given the opportunity to complete a self-assessment as part of the process, be sure to take it seriously - it is your opportunity to ensure your organization really knows what you have done. Be comprehensive, but be honest - don't "stretch" too much or you will risk losing credibility. Even if not asked to prepare a self-assessment, be proactive and develop a list of significant accomplishments for your supervisor before the evaluation process begins. Don't write a novel that won't be read, but do include the things you have done that may not be known to others. This is particularly important for those who work more independently - i.e. without a lot of "hands-on" supervision.
Emotions and Challenging Discussions - What if emotions surface that get in the way of productive feedback dialogue? The stakes can be very high to feedback recipients. It may make sense to take a break and reconvene to continue the discussion. But don’t leave a feedback recipient hanging too long without benefit of the complete feedback message. Objectivity and keeping the discussion focused specifically upon what a person actually did (or didn't do) vs. "who they are" can be a fine line, but it is an important one. Avoid comments that begin with phrases like: "You are too..."
All feedback really can be constructive. Even if you are faced with needing to deliver tough messages about performance issues (vs. development ideas), you can always find a way to share some experiences or thoughts that will help the feedback recipient. Consider practicing or even role-playing what you envision may be a challenging discussion. Reach out for help when you need it!
|