Get Going on Performance Reviews!
December 12th, 2005It’s the end of the year. Most managers we know are thinking about the holidays… and annual reviews. After years of managing, training and consulting, we’ve concluded this is one of the most poorly managed and implemented processes we’re aware of. it’s not hard to do, but for plenty of (bad) reasons, managers just don’t handle this responsibility well. For those few who do, it’s an enormous competitive advantage.
We’re dedicating at least the next THREE podcasts to helping you deliver an effective performance review. We’ve taken the approach that you haven’t had a whole year of one on ones, with the related notes, and haven’t done quarterly reviews to prepare for this one. In this first podcast, we start walking through HOW TO WRITE the review. There are 3 steps in this first part of the process: COLLECTING DATA, EVALUATING DATA, and finally WRITING THE REVIEW. All three of those steps take two podcasts. Starting with the third ‘cast in this series, we talk about how to actually DELIVER the evaluation.
We reference a sample letter for gathering performance data from your employees … you can find it here.
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December 13th, 2005 at 4:43 pm
Man love your guys stuff. It’s awesome and very helpful. You guys do an amazing job on really laying things out and making it pratical. Easy to understand and implement, which brings up my request. Maybe you could do a podcast on implenting and follow-through. Also known as execution. Also if you could do one on Goal setting and step by steps to achieving them. Practically like you guys always show. I think that would be great. Thanks again for all you guys do. It really shows you guys are good and really are succeeding by just the dedication and quality of this podcast. All podcast start strong but fizzle out. You guys keep going strong. Thanks. Keep it up. I’m a youth pastor and this stuff works just the same in my field. I have people following me and leaders that report to me and you guys help me be better.
December 17th, 2005 at 6:42 pm
Can you guys put a list of the headings at the top of this page with links to the actual podcasts? That would give us a useful list of podcast subjects without scrolling. It’s handy to have the titles in this way.
December 17th, 2005 at 11:23 pm
Jonathan,
Have you considered subscribing to the podcasts via a podcatcher or RSS client? If you’re unfamiliar with the process, you may want to check out this link: http://www.manager-tools.com/?page_id=28 Although it may not be exactly what you want, it would reduce the need to come to the website to download the podcasts.
But I get your point … the ability to search by topic or keyword would be great. As time and resources permit, we’ll give some thought to following up on your suggestion.
Thanks!
December 19th, 2005 at 1:23 am
Hi guys,
I’ve recently discovered your show and have found it massively useful as I am a new manager. Mark delivers this advice in such a clear and easy to understand fashion. I’m planning my reviews for my reports - is the self-appraisal form on the site yet? Maybe its my end but it wasn’t attached to the download memo.
I also have a question - listening to your shows I can see how your advice would be of great benefit to my director (especially effective meetings….) How can I suggest he should make some changes in this regard without causing offence?
Many thanks, and keep up the good work,
Matt - Vietnam.
December 19th, 2005 at 2:37 am
Matt-
If I understand your question, you’re asking about the form we recommend you use to have your directs evaluate themselves. If that’s the case, there isn’t one on the site, because we want you to give them a copy of the review you’re going to fill out on them. No sense in trying to match forms.
And this is really critical, as we will share in the next casts on delivering the review - you’re going to have compared their comments to yours, and be able to change how you deliver your review in the meeting based on their own impressions. VERY powerful… makes delivery much easier.
Funny you mention about your boss. Mike insisted that we do a cast in conjunction with the performance evals on managing one’s boss.
That said, a couple of thoughts: don’t push it. Generally, one leads “up” by example. For now, see if you can’t get on his calendar weekly to share what you’re doing in all areas. You don’t have to call it a one on one, but you’d be delivering your half - what you’re doing, status, issues you’re working on. Mention what you’re doing with your directs, mention O3s, and feedback, and coaching. Be subtle. DON’T be direct. See if he asks questions. About as far as you can go (not knowing any more just yet) is, “hey, thought you’d like to read this email from one of my team about the meetings I’ve started having weekly with each of them.”
Let results be your persuasive technique…for now.
It’s a privilege to serve you.
Mark
December 19th, 2005 at 1:29 pm
Here’s the basic timeline at our company of reviews. We’re on the federal schedule so the notification from HR comes out about the end of August that all managers need to complete reviews by mid-October. The fiscal year ends at the end of September.
Upper management has about a week to review the submitted reviews and ask for changes. In practice there are rarely any changes. The reviews are then actually scheduled and given about mid-November since HR has us wait until the salary increases are actually approved by the Board.
Reviews are a basic list of 30+ numbered items and areas from comments along with a training plan. Probably pretty standard based on my past experiences.
December 19th, 2005 at 6:27 pm
After listening to this podcast (great content as usual) and then listening to a few other non-Manager Tools podcasts I must thank you on producing them with such good audio quality.
I this week’s batch of podcasts I must have skipped at least 3 podcasts due to excessing background noise, bad telephone lines, etc. where the producers of the podcasts didn’t strive for the audio quality that you guys do. As I listen in the car when travelling mostly on motorways (UK for highways) any bad quality can really become an issue.
Thanks for making them all crystal clear in both audio quality and content understanding!
December 21st, 2005 at 1:34 am
Catfish-
Thanks for the background. We are gradually compiling a cross section of listeners’ systems, which we think will help us give a little bit more targeted guidance.
Merry Christmas,
Mark
January 5th, 2006 at 3:56 pm
Good stuff about review time…just in time for our calendar too! A quick question:
My recollection about feedback / reviews is that you recommend:
1) Weekly O3s to provide feedback & coaching
2) Quarterly (semi-annually?) more formalized reviews
3) Using the corporate review process and dovetailing it into your normal feedback / coaching process.
Am I remembering this correctly? If so, I don’t recall any podcast on those quarterlies - what should the content be, and how formal should it be?
Thanks again!
Neal
January 6th, 2006 at 12:41 pm
Neal-
Thanks for your question. You are remembering things accurately for the most part. It’s a minor point, but feedback is not JUST something that happens in O3s. It happens all the time. Sure, it COULD happen in a weekly, but it’s not limited to that. Don’t hold your breath waiting for an O3.
And, there was no podcast on quarterlies. All they are is a long-ish O3 delivering an annual review based on what has happened so far. You don’t have to ask for a self eval. Just follow our guidance (abbreviated, obviously) for the annual. You certainly don’t talk about next year’s goals…rather, next QUARTER’S goals.
Great question - thanks!
Mark
January 9th, 2006 at 2:08 am
Great podcast! My company is currently (as are most I am sure) in chaos mode to prepare and approve and negotiate and then negotiate again and some time before Spring deliver the review.
I could not agree more with the ongoing one on one and the necessity of a quarterly review. I am a 26 year old operations manager and through reading and experience have forced my way into management. It baffles me how face to face time is so rare. I always wondered how my managers were able to write about me in the past few years without seeing me. I have taken your pod cast into my staff meeting to review what “could be” versus what our company does. Words cant describe the look on the faces in the room. It appeared that simplicity and clarity had stepped into my office and smacked each of my managers acrosse the face.
Thanks guys!
Here’s to changing the world, one ineffective process, manager, company at a time.
January 13th, 2006 at 12:29 am
SMART objectives in moderation please
As a technology manager a big part of what I do is trying to help people do their jobs well. That includes removing obstacles, being an advocate when there is a problem, making sure the team is operating efficiently, ensuring people can usually work a …
February 13th, 2006 at 2:10 pm
You asked for the source of the quote on short communications:
I made this letter longer than usual because I lack the time to make it short.
~ Blaise Pascal
Cheers, David
February 13th, 2006 at 2:11 pm
Is there anywhere that the acronym SMART is explained? I haven’t hit it yet. I can guess at Specific, Measurable, Attainable, ???, ???.
What’s the rest?
Cheres, David.
February 13th, 2006 at 4:24 pm
David,
Although there are some minor variations on what SMART stands for, here’s my view/recollection (for the life of me, this is so ingrained in my thinking that I can’t remember *where* I learned this … “The One Minute Manager” maybe?):
Specific – your goal should have its expected outcome stated as simply, concisely and explicitly as possible. Answers questions such as; how much, for whom, for what?
Measurable – your goal should be measureable. For example, “improve sales by 10% works”; “improve sales” doesn’t. Obviously that was a simple/obvious example. More interesting is the difference between “improve relationships between your organization and Marketing” and something that is measurable (e.g., what specific, measurable behaviors/results would be evidenced by an “improved relationship”. I *vastly* prefer goals broken down into components that can be measured simply as “met” or “not met” — we’ll talk more about this when we get to Project Management on one of the podcasts.
Achievable – an achievable goal has an outcome that is realistic given your current situation, resources and time available. Balance “achievable” with “stretch” goals. Ensuring a goal is achievable doesn’t *not* mean you can’t stretch our folks. If someone can figure out how to take “judgement” out of this balance, let me know … we’ll be rich!
Relevant– a relevant goal relates to your larger mission/vision and is “environmentally sound”.
Time-based– the goal should have a date/time associated with it’s achievement. A goal without a deadline is just a “wish”.
Hope that helps.
Mike
February 14th, 2006 at 11:56 pm
Thanks, Mike. That sorts it out. I subsequently found another site that had “T”=Tangible, but I like the Time-based better (it’s, after all, more tangible
Cheers, David.
February 20th, 2006 at 10:03 pm
[…] For me, it expands the situations in which I can study (for example as I’m writing this, I’m listening to a Manager Tools podcast on Performance Reviews). […]
November 28th, 2006 at 3:44 pm
Mark and Mike,
I know this is an old thread, so hopefully your site notifies you of new posts…
I’m a new manager at my company, where I have been for about 5 years. I manage a small team (5 people) developing a consumer electronic device. Unfortunately, my company does not do performance reviews. Last time anything of the sort was mentioned was 4 years ago when my manager sent out a self review form but never followed up on that after it was turned in. The attitude seems to be that if they don’t do reviews then they don’t have to give raises (indead, some of our employees haven’t had raises in the time I’ve been here).
I’ve decided to set a good example and do performance reviews of my team. I know that it may have no impact on raises or bonuses (which we also don’t give), but I feel at least it would be valuable to provide the feedback both to my directs as well as up the chain about the work my directs are doing. As I’m starting from scratch, could you recomend some questions for the review form?
Thanks,
- Steve
November 30th, 2006 at 1:22 am
Steve-
I like the idea! Well done you. And, your request is not a trivial thing. It’s too custom a request for me to suggest something generic.
I recommend you simply Google performance evaluations, and annual reviews, etc, and you will find many such questions.
Further, get all the books on Amazon by Richard Grote. He’s a GENIUS at this stuff… best in the world in my opinion.
Mark