The New Year's resolution making spirit seems to have come into the work place, and our company's general manager has a new initiative. Each employees is required to send an email to a group email chain stating what their failings have been, and where they will be focusing their individual professional self-improvement for the upcoming month/quarter. Does my GM's initiative sound like a good one?
The areas we identify for ourselves as needing improvement will be assessed after one month by our managers for measurable progress, and are therefore tied to our quarterly/monthly employee performance reviews. The team is also encouraged to send private emails to other team members with ideas about what they can add to their list of areas needing improvement/development. I am totally on board with performance evaluations, although in my experience these have been mostly private conversations between myself and my manager (and myself and my directs), and that's the format I'm a bit more comfortable with.
I guess my question is, does this initiative make sense? It feels new age-y and sloppy to me (I'd prefer something a bit more structured) However, I'm open to hearing that this is a great idea, a terrible one, or ideas on how it could be implemented more effectively. Or conversely, that it doesn't matter whether the idea is a good one or not because he's my boss. :) Just for background, the GM is not my direct manager, but we hold weekly one on one's. The team size is around 20 employees across two offices.
Clarification...
Insighter...what is your question? I'm lost.
In reply to Clarification... by JM Armstrong
Clarification
I'm wondering if other managers think that my GM's initiative to make everyone's failings and goals public is a good idea. And, is there a better way to go about setting goals for employees? In the third paragraph I discussed my feelings about it.
Is it a good idea?
probably not, but opting out is probably not going to win you any favours either.
Why not choose something like being more open to feedback. Then you can achieve a high level of recognition by going around asking for feedback. You may even learn a thing or two about yourself.
:-)
Good luck
Kev
Does your GM really think he
Does your GM really think he's going to get an honest self-assessment from everyone? Listing your failings for public viewing? What happens if the areas you believe represent failings are areas the GM thinks are just fine? Do you get points for identifying the same areas the GM would identify?
The GM should lead by example and be the first for public self-mutilation.
I'd recommend you do what everyone else is going to do. Don't spend time in self-reflection trying to dig up your most significant shortcomings to hang on the clothesline for public viewing and comment. Come up with the most innocuous thing you can think of and present it amid a flourish of emotional, self-reflective verbiage.