Is your stomach in knots dreading these conversations? Your employees probably feel the same way, but these meetings don’t have to keep anyone up at night.
Use these tips to turn traditionally tough conversations into opportunities to strengthen relationships between leaders and employees.
Tip #1 for pain-free performance reviews: Give perfect scores to the employees who meet the criteria.
I often hear, “But Jessica, nobody’s perfect.”
That’s true.
But that’s not what we’re assessing.
If their performance during the evaluation period meets the standards for the highest score, it’s our obligation to give it to them.
When we don’t, we’re actively destroying the relationship — especially the critical elements of trust and respect.
A confession:
When I’ve given this advice in the past, I’m almost certain it caused some execs to break out in hives. I know it can be uncomfortable. Raise your hand if you had management training in the 1990s or earlier. This wasn’t what we were taught most of the time.
Tip #2 for pain-free performance reviews: Don’t surprise them with new negative feedback.
The performance evaluation discussion shouldn’t be the first time an employee hears about something you’d like them to consider doing differently.
This is especially true for corrective or negative feedback that might sting. If you need to talk to an employee about a problem with their performance, be sure to do it shortly after the situation occurs.
Saving criticisms for the performance evaluation meeting damages trust and creates an unhealthy environment that impacts productivity, engagement, collaboration, loyalty, and their interactions with customers.
Watch portions of Jessica’s interview on YouTube:
Part 1 – Perfect Scores
Part 2 – No Surprises
About the Author
A former executive and global leadership advisor, Jessica Walter has been helping leaders solve their most complex culture, engagement, and communication challenges since 2003.
She spent 15 years on the executive teams of government, non-profit, and publicly traded businesses before transitioning into leadership and business advisory roles, including a senior position at a global consulting firm.
Jessica has presented practical and perspective-shifting advice on leadership and communication to a variety of audiences, including the annual conferences and leadership expos for psychologists, CEOs, emergency responders, financial services employees, and government leaders.
Her research includes leading a four-year study on internal communication and leadership effectiveness, and her leadership advice has been featured in numerous publications.
She has studied at Wharton, Duquesne, and Towson. She holds the Accreditation in Public Relations (APR) and certifications as a Leadership Coach and Hogan Assessments Advisor.
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