The Dreaded Performance Review

      When we think of performance reviews, excitement is never a feeling that comes to mind. Why do we dread the review? The key is changing your mindset about the review. How can we expect change if we never do anything differently? If we aren’t challenged as a company and as an individual employee, growth will not happen. Albert Einstein said the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Performance reviews are a must if you want progress and improvements to happen.

As the Vice President of Operations at Godshall, Ginny Beach has conducted a number of performance reviews over the years. Below are some of her thoughts of why they are important and why we shouldn’t dread them:

As free climbers reached the summit of El Capitan in Yosemite Park yesterday, the dreaded performance review challenge seems fairly miniscule. Why do we dread the review as an employee or as a manager? If we can’t face things head on, we cannot get better and we cannot improve. It also forces us to take time to pat people on the back instead of spending all of our time on problem employees. At Godshall, we have found better morale and better performance after these reviews are complete. Of course, they have to be done well and they have to be fair. Make sure the employee knows what you are reviewing. Give them the parameters of what you are looking for and ask them to fill out a review on themselves. That way you know before you get into the review if you are both on the same page. Most of the time you will be and it makes what could be a difficult conversation easy. You may also want to have coworkers give input anonymously. This is called a 360 degree review. You get a chance to see an employee from all perspectives. Make sure to give both positive and constructive feedback. Also, the employee should set goals at this time with action items on how to achieve the goals. As you can see, the process takes a little work but you are certainly not climbing a mountain. In the end you will have happier and more productive employees or you may be able to get a divisive employee to realize they are not a good fit for the organization.

What are your thoughts on performance reviews?