10 Tips to Maximizing Value from Your Dreaded Performance Review
Nearly everyone hates receiving performance reviews! Most people anticipate with discomfort what their boss will have to say. Fortunately, it’s that time of year when most organizations will be traversing these dreaded waters once again!
The Review Doesn’t Begin at the End! It starts with Goal Setting!
You will have an easier time with the annual script, if you’ve done a good job up front. First you need to ensure the goals are well written in a SMART format (specific, measure-able, achievable, relevant, time-bound). If goals are missing any of these elements, then grading of a goal will likely be arbitrary and highly problematic. Secondly, you need to keep track throughout the year of noteworthy events and data that provide evidence of your accomplishments and relative stardom.
Alas, most people fail miserably to do these steps proactive well, or even to take the review seriously, and therefore will be relatively defenseless when their potentially ill-informed boss barrages them with arbitrary grades and comments. All I can say to this group is ‘good luck - maybe next time you’ll take the process more seriously up front.’
Today, I’m going to focus on the group who takes the review process seriously and has done the upfront work well.
Tips to Getting Value from Your Performance Review
1. Be fair and objective
When you describe your accomplishments for each goal, be fair and objective. Don’t engage in inflation as it will paint you as having low integrity. If you kicked ass - great, say so with data. If you didn’t get to the desired end-point - say so and use the data to describe how close you came, what the hurdles were, and what you intend to do differently to meet the goal in the future. This shows integrity, self-awareness, resilience, and maturity!
2. Know to what you will be compared
Know what the measurement scale means and to what you’ll be compared. You should be compared to the requirements of your goals and your position - not against some other goal or position.
I once had a Maintenance Manager on my team who wanted to grade all of his mechanics as ‘Exceeding Requirements’ because they were so much more talented and capable than most of the production operators. He failed to recognize that the mechanics were supposed to be better! They were paid much more than operators and their job description requirements held them to a much higher standard than the operators. He should have been grading them against the right bar - and against each other when normalizing his grading - not against a lower expectation or different group. Correcting this error was traumatic for the manager and the team.
3. Don’t Expect an ‘Exceeds’ rating just because a goal was tough!
If you take on a tough goal and just barely meet the goal, don’t expect an ‘Exceeds Requirements’ rating just because the goal was tough. You met a goal. Period. Your rating should be ‘Met Requirements.’ “But, but, but … it was a really difficult goal,” you blubber. Yes, it was tough and that will be noticed and will benefit you in other ways - like in being noticed by career influencing leaders, and having your name come up in succession planning.
4. Failure is okay
If you are truly taking on difficult challenges, you will fail to reach the goal occasionally. Think about it - if you always hyper-achieve all of your goals, are you really taking on tough assignments and stretching yourself? It’s okay to get a poor rating occasionally on really tough goals. It’s also fair game to note that the goal was exceptionally tough, but don’t expect to be graded ‘Met Requirements’ if you didn’t get there. Your efforts are still going to be noteworthy and beneficial to your career. Leaders will be interested to see your integrity, maturity and resilience in how you respond to the missed goal.
5. Listen to Understand and Take Time to Reflect
If your manager is doing their job, they will include comments about things you can do better. LISTEN to really understand their perspective. Do not be super sensitive and emotional about it. Be professional. It’s okay to say “I’ll need some time to reflect upon this point and would like to discuss it more later.” Note that ‘later’ doesn’t mean ‘never.’
6. Demonstrate that you are Coachable
Come back in a few days and discuss the review aspects that were critical of your performance or skills. Thank your boss for their perspective and tell them what you are going to do differently in the future to address the gap or the perceived gap. This is what is called ‘being coachable’ and is an absolute must ability for anyone looking to advance in their career.
7. Make sure you get critical feedback
If your manager didn’t provide any constructive input, ask them for it. Bluntly. You need this input and it’s their job to give it to you. This will demonstrate a high maturity level and self confidence. Do not accept an answer that suggests there is nothing more you should, or need, to improve.
8. Be Professional - Always
If you think your boss is a worthless pile of dung, keep your opinion to yourself. Don’t engage in malicious gossip. If you can, privately give your boss some constructive and actionable feedback. Realize that there is no way for you to know everything that is happening in their professional or personal life that may be a factor. I realized as I climbed the corporate ladder that often when I couldn’t fathom certain decisions made by upper leaders, it was generally not because they were complete dunces, but rather because they possessed information to which I wasn’t privileged. Be professional. Be kind. Always.
9. Follow the Established Process!
If after careful consideration, reflection and digestion, you truly believe your performance review is materially unfair, follow the process to object, AFTER first discussing again with your boss. This is professional courtesy and they may actually agree with your objection if you make a fact based case. Once you go over your boss’ head, you are setting up an adversarial process. It is far better to try to resolve the disagreement more collaboratively, or at least more low key. This challenge needs to be done in a manner that preserves your relationship and ability to work together.
10. Take Action on What You Learned!
Incorporate any learnings into next year’s goal setting process! An ounce of Prevention is worth a pound of cure - and will help advance your career!
Conclusion
A performance review is not an event to be dreaded. Instead it is an opportunity to properly document your accomplishments, and to receive valuable constructive feedback. Try not to be overly concerned about the actual grade - focus instead on what you can do to improve and help the organization.
Your performance review grade is not a reflection of your value as a human being, nor your future value to the organization. It merely is a marker to show how you did in a defined period of time, against established goals. That’s all.
Remember, the review process starts with writing really SMART goals!
I offer one-on-one leadership coaching if you need help with your goals or performance review, or simply want to be a better leader.
