How do I give a performance review for a direct receiving a lower rating than deserved?

Submitted by Jim Turk
in
Management and Leadership

During the annual performance review I will be explaining to a few of my directs they are receiving a lower rating than in my opinion they should.  How do I handle this when the rating system used by the company forces a distribution of the ratings? 

Work for a large corporation that is using a bell curve system for applying annual performance ratings.  You know the one - a certain percentage of employees receive top ratings, another percentage receive average, the remainder are rated below expectations.  This curve is spread out among everyone under my director.  The result is you can have a team in which everyone is above average yet a least a few are going to receive an F for the year.

Thank fully followed advice on steel cage death match podcast.  Things got rather ugly this year and it would have been much worse without preparation.  

Thank you in advance for the feedback.

Submitted by Mark Horstman on Friday December 6th, 2013 11:40 am

I think the answer is: directly.  Be specific, explain yourself as best you can.
Other thoughts:
1.  Brief your boss in advance so he knows.
2.  Marshall your data.  I'm assuming you're using our recommendations on how to prep, write and deliver… those 4 casts are in my personal top 20 favorites.  SERIOUSLY.  You're insane if you don't use this guidance.
3.  Schedule time shortly AFTER (don't' do it during - they're not going to be ready) to develop an improvement plan.  (For which coaching might be good… ;-)
Keep me posted.
Mark 

Submitted by David Cybuck on Friday December 6th, 2013 9:20 pm

 
It doesn't sound like your 100% behind this new system.  And that was fine...before the decision was made.  Now dude, this is what you have to work with and its your job to be 100% behind it from here on out; the decision has been made.  If you hold on to the old idea the new one will never succeed.  Its like the story of the general who landed on the shores of a foreign land and the first thing he did was burn all of his own boats. The second in command, confused, asked WTF…how will we get home? The general says, we’re going home in their boats or we’re not going home. You can’t cling onto that old system and expect people to adopt the new one.
Burn the boats,
RC