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First up, thanks heaps guys. Your pod casts are extremely informative, inspiring and relevant. I usually listen to two or three each week in order to help cement ideas and stay familiar with the content. I've been listening to MT since attending my first management course September '07 and only wish I'd found you back in '05.

This post is really just to say thanks for the great work you did on the annual review process series. I have two direct reports and had done annual 'contribution' reviews for the last two years. I was never happy with the process, or the outcome. In our company it's very much as you describe, a box ticking exercise that is executed poorly. It's looked on by some quite cynically.

After listening to your pod casts I was inspired to change how I do reviews. With time to prepare I was able to repeatedly go over the process and construct a review process I was happy with. By the time word came down from our senior management that reviews must be completed before n date I was ready. With the confidence and enthusiasm I gained through listening to MT the whole process was really fun, I loved it. My manager did too. I was the first manager in the company to have both started and completed the review process for all my direct reports, and this reflected favourably on him.

Quarterly reviews are scheduled and everything is ticking along smoothly.

Thanks MT!

LPM.

ramiska's picture

Nicely done.

CalKen's picture

Great job! It sounds as if you have gotten the true meaning of the performance reviews beyond the unwritten requirement to provide inputs for people so that people who do not even work with your directs will have a means to assign pay increases. Based on your post I feel that you are on your way to providing a true impact to your team and organization.

I have a similar experience where my performance reviews were the first (and only ones) done on time. Although there is a policy within the company I work for not to provide your reviews to the employees, my manager told me that he will use my inputs verbatim in their reviews. I used the MT approach to performance reviews, and I schedule quarterly reviews of goals based on the MT method. I have already seen a marked improvement in my team performance and morale.

I truly hope that you have the same experience. It can be very rewarding when you see the fruits of your labor in your team, and your team begins to gel and perform beyond their previous expectations.

LPlateManager's picture

Thank you for the kind words CalKen.

lmoorhead's picture
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Glad to hear you had such a positive experience - I predict you'll find this approach bears fruit in future reviews as well. The first time I followed the MT way for reviews, a few of my directs said "wow, I can tell you put a lot of time and thought into this." The [u]second [/u] time, it was obvious from their self-evaluations that they too had invested a lot of time and effort into analyzing their own performance, knowing that I would do the same.

CalKen's picture

I completely agree.

One other thing I have noticed is that my team actually WANTS to get engaged in their own goals and performance. All I am doing is coaching them and they are doing all of the work. I have seen a marked increase in performance and morale (perhaps it is just my perception but I see it nonetheless) and I believe it is because they know that I am taking a personal interest in their careers.