Tips for Effective Performance Appraisals

It's almost that time of year again!

All too often, we hear about performance appraisals being "like a mandatory exercise that provides little value to the team member or the organization."

Components of an effective Team Member Performance Review include:

1. Past goals: Review the team member’s job objectives. Acknowledge the work he or she completed during the past review cycle. Communicate with specificity the team member’s success in surpassing, meeting or underperforming their responsibilities. Offer praise for accomplishments as well as suggestions for improvement.
2. Company’s direction and goals: Discuss with the team member how his or her job responsibilities fit in with the company’s short and long-term goals.
3. Set goals: Determine what is to be achieved (improved financial results, customer satisfaction or innovation) and how it will be measured.
4. Team Member feedback: Allow the team member to voice his or her concerns and respond to your review.
5. Career development: Identify professional development and training that will help team members reach their career goals and grow professionally. Discuss the requirements and skills necessary to earn a promotion.
6. Follow-up: Write a summary of your review and document the goals for the coming year. Research and address the team member’s concerns and/or questions.

BOTTOMLINE: Provide ongoing feedback throughout the year, (20 minutes each week is what we recommend in Discipline IV - Work The Plan), so the formal performance review is not a drain, and will contain no surprises.