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3. FEATURE ARTICLE - Performance Assessments That Motivate
by Doris Bentley, Centrepoint Career
Consultinghttp://www.centrepointcareer.com
Are you waiting with positive anticipation to conduct yournext
performance review? How many of your employees wouldsay they look
forward to their performance reviews?Typically, the performance
review process is one of themost anxiety-laden experiences for
employees and managersalike. What often gets in the way of an
effectiveperformance review is that people are used to
beingevaluated as poor, average, or smart in school and wecarry our
perceptions of how we were evaluated earlier inlife to assessments
of our performance at work.
When I ask managers what motivates them to perform, I
hearsimilar responses to what motivates all employees.
Mostfrequently, I hear such responses as ''as sense
ofaccomplishment" or "recognition." When we provide anopportunity
for each employee to decide the expectationsfor their performance
with his or her manager, thelikelihood of accomplishment is
increased.
Everyone is entitled to have their performance measured.It's
great to get self-satisfaction from a job well done,but to hear
from someone else who matters about how we'redoing takes our sense
of self to a new level. The key toconducting performance reviews
that motivate, is to usea participatory process that appraises
performance, notthe individual.
The purpose of performance reviews or assessments is notto tell
employees how good they are, but to talk about theresults of their
performance and the impact of whatthey've done. The role of the
manager in a performancereview is that of facilitator, not
evaluator. The manager
should focus on providing outcome-based feedback - forexample,
advising an employee that "Because the report waslate, the project
was delayed"; not - "We got into troublebecause you didn't meet the
deadline." Follow such acomment with "If you could do this..., this
would happen..."Placing the focus on performance and it's results,
and noton the individual, will motivate the individual to
improvedperformance. Ideally, the performance review meeting
shouldencourage the employee to talk openly and freely
aboutaccomplishments, problems, concerns, and perceptions.
Here are ten key steps to follow when preparing for - andgiving
- an effective performance assessment:
1) Keep in touch with other managers or staff with whomyour
employee works to gain an awareness of how othersperceive the
individual you will be assessing.
2) Give ongoing, timely and relevant feedback to theemployee
throughout the year. Ongoing feedback providesthe recognition that
motivates and assures opportunityfor coaching and development; it
reduces the fear bornout of surprise in the traditional assessment
interview.
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3) Write a rough draft for each employee, then askyourself: What
will be remembered? What will motivate?Are comments specific? Is
there anecdotal evidence tosupport each assertion? Are your
comments understandable?
4) Insist that employees actively participate in
theirperformance reviews. A week in advance of the meeting,provide
the employee with a list of self-assessmentquestions to complete in
advance of the meeting. Thequestions should ask what the person has
accomplishedsince the last review, any successes or disappointments
atwork, whether or not they are getting enough support andfeedback
to be effective in their work, and so on. Theemployee's answers to
these questions should form thebasis of your initial
discussion.
5) Bring out what has been done well by the individual andwhat
must be learned to capitalize on the employee'sstrengths. The goal
is not to be adversarial, but to buildin the employee's strengths
in a way that meets companyobjectives. Provide specific anecdotal
evidence of whatthe employee has done, not vague
generalizations.Emphasize the future, not the past.
6) Fill out the actual performance assessment form withthe
employee in the meeting. Filling it out togetherprovides the
opportunity to mutually set new performancegoals for the next
assessment period.
7) When writing the new performance goals or expectations,they
should be mutually defined and agreed upon. Expectedresults should
be clear, based on the company's businessobjectives. They should be
realistic, measurable, clear,and above all, they should be
commitments.
8) There should be no surprises for either the employee or
the manager during the performance assessment. If thereare
performance problems that need to be addressed, theyshould occur at
the time they arise. The performanceassessment meeting is not the
time to bring up performanceproblems for the first time.
9) It's often a good idea to have two people in theperformance
assessment meeting with the employee - it canhelp create a more
conversational atmosphere, and isdefinitely recommended when there
are negative behaviorsto address.
10) Change your language: you're assessing performance,
not the individual. Provide outcome-based feedback bydescribing
specific behaviors and the consequences of whatthe individual has
done. Separate the person from theissues, and you're home free.
Another very contentious part of most performance reviewsis the
rating scale. What is the worth of a rating scale?None; all it does
is compare Marvin with Alicia. It isalmost impossible to understand
ambiguous ratings such as"needs improvement" or "satisfactory.' A
rating system
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also encourages managers to resort to a shorthand gradeinstead
of using performance reviews as an opportunity tocoach and to
motivate employees.
Equally important: When we separate financial compensationfrom
the assessment process, what we really remove is thedistraction
from the performance interview and weencourage listening and
dialogue that motivates improvedperformance. Most of us want to
know if we will "get araise" - but that can wait. By adding a
spirit ofcommunication and creativity, the traditional
dreadedperformance review has been replaced by the opportunityto
motivate.
Thoughtful preparation and allocation of adequate timeare the
two basic essentials in planning a successfulperformance
discussion. Spontaneity works well in somesituations but is not
appropriate when a person's needs,values, performance, and career
plans are being discussed.The integrity of the manager is indicated
by how wellhe/she prepares for the performance discussion and by
howwell the session is conducted.
***Resources***
Author: For Doris Bentley's biography,
visithttp://www.spc.ca/resources/essentials/hallfame.htm.
For more information on Performance Management, visitSPC's
online Resource Center at http://www.spc.ca/es32.
