All of us at some point in time have waited with anxiety for that wonderful time of the year when we receive our annual performance review. Even if you know that you have had a great year, you are never really sure what is going to be said and how pleased management is with your performance.
To a great degree this whole process is a major problem within most organizations. On the one hand poor performers are not dealt with on an ongoing basis and sometimes they are even given good reviews because their direct supervisor does not want to admit that they also have failed. Sometimes employees think things are going great only to have the big bomb dropped with no real explanation as to why they were not told before.
On the other extreme top performers are left in the dark about what they are doing well and they only get the one time a year serious conversation about where they stand and what is next in the area of development. The bottom line there should be ongoing informal times for evaluation and at least twice a year if not quarterly, a brief review of exactly where everyone stands in regards to expectations.
I have seen performance reviews that are literally 20 pages in length with a tremendous amount of worthless information. Most in my opinion should not be more than two to three pages and that only deal with key objectives and some type of quantitative analysis on success.
I also prefer some type of 360 feedback system in place so that in a non-threatening way immediate supervisors can be told what they need to do to help improve their direct reports performance. This should be a time where an honest exchange of information takes place so that everyone knows what they need to do to improve day to day performance and lay out a clear plan for professional development for all involved.
We really need to change the culture of the performance review process from going to the dentist mentality to meeting with my coach who I know has my best interest in mind and is passionately committed to helping me reach my potential.
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