MAKING GREAT PERFORMANCE

REVIEWSGreg Thomas

http://www.rambli.com

Objective reviews are programs managed by many organizations that measure a person’s performance over the current year. I.e.,

how did they achieve the objectives assigned to them over x period of time.

Typically this is tied to some form of monetary compensation in the form of a bonus or a raise.

It’s not about how many people you manage but how many kick-

ass things that you do. - Anonymous

What if there was

no financial

incentive?

How would you change your role as either the Reviewer or

Reviewee, knowing that all you could offer was growth,

leadership, challenge, support or mentorship?

How could these roles CHANGE?

The REVIEWEE

WHO IS THE REVIEWEE?

That’s you, that’s always you – this is your chance, your opportunity to showcase who you really are and what you want to accomplish.

It’s not your manager’s job to decide on your career path and/or what you want to accomplish this year, they are there to guide and support but not lead…… the Leading is up to you.

1. Prepare for your Review

PREPARE

TRAINING GROWTH SHARPEN

What do I want to learn this

year?

Where do I need guidance?

Where do I want to go this year?

What about beyond this

year?

What do I want to get better at?

Where is there still room for

improvement?

Focus your Preparation around what will help guide your career– Train. Grow. Sharpen.

SELL YOURSELF

Is there a Standard Template to fill out?

Great, then fill it out, don’t write a line – “I did this” – write what

conveys what you have done and where you want to go.

Train. Grow. Sharpen.

WAIT all this prep and you’re still waiting on an

invite?

Schedule it yourself.JANUAR 2016

Take the Lead.

2. The Review

LEARN

IMPROVE

ACHIEVEMENT

CHALLENGE

Every review should answer 4 Questions for you;1) What did you do well on? Achievement.2) What do you need to work on? Improvement.3) What could you be doing better? Challenge.4) How can you increase your knowledge? Learn.

What I can learn next period? I want more.

What did I do well on?

What did I do that knocked your socks off?

What do I need to improve on?

Did I screw up on something?

Great, how do I get better next time?

What can I be Challenged on next period?

Give me something good, something that pushes me.

Don’t hold back.

Learn

Achievement

ImprovementChallenge

DO NOT LEAVE UNTIL YOU HAVE RECEIVED ANSWERS TO ALL FOUR.

It’s not about getting 100% or SMILEY FACES.

It’s about Grow. Sharpen. Train.

Finally…take the critiques

learn how to be better, build on the praise,

ask for help,and

Grow.

3. After the Review

AFTER THE REVIEW

1) Get it all in writing so you have it in front of you to work with.

2) Build a Plan to make it happen.

Now Double it.

x2

Why double it?Trying for something more isn’t going to hurt you, it’s

going to benefit you.

And if you fail, you will still have achieved everything you had originally set out to.

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4. Change the Model

NO FORMWho said you needed to have a form to have a Performance Review.

Make your own and start something – checklists

are great.

NO MONEYWant to do Training but

no money in the budget?

Ask for a few days off to go learn something new on your own and come

back with a demo.

NO CHOICEDon’t have a formal Career Path? Great. Build your own, start

something, lead.

You can always work something in.

NO TIMEToo busy with regular

work? Really for yourself? How’s that

latest XBOX game going?

You have time, now use it.

NO HELPFind a peer to support you and help you with

your objectives.

Maybe even ask for them to review how you

are doing.

You don’t have to keep doing things the way they are because “that is how they have always been done”.

THE REVIEWER

WHO IS THE REVIEWER?

This might be you, it might not. If it is you, you now have an incredible opportunity before you.

Support and Guide a member of your team in the achievement of their objectives toward furthering their career.Your role is not so much a leader as a provider of options and paths that they can go down, if they falter, you are there to help them up, if they succeed, be their cheerleader.

But you can’t do it for them.

1. Prepare for your Review

Your Reviewee just spent a significant

amount of time sending in a great, well-thought out, detailed review.

What are you going to do?

PREPARERead their Review – Twice. Don’t miss anything,

take notes, highlight comments. Read between the lines, what are they really asking for? What are

they really saying.

Come with answers to THEIR Questions that they might have asked.

Prepare Questions to use during the Review to have as a reference.

You can’t remember everything.

Schedule it in advance so your Reviewee has time to

prepare. IF you need to switch times, talk to them and ask if it’s okay before

hand - this isn’t easy for them.

2. The Review

KEY QUESTIONS

How are you?

How are things going within your current role?

What is working for you right now?

What is not working for you?

What could we (i.e., me your manager, your leadership team, this organization, etc) be doing better?

How can I help in the achievement of your career goals?

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YOUR ROLE

PRAISEProvide praise where earned.

GUIDEHelp with their issues.

OUTLINEWhere they need to go and how you can help them.

REASSUREAny worries and concerns they might have.

CHALLENGEDon’t let them coast, push them.

And be silent…

… and wait …

… give them time to think …

… they will thank you for it.

3. After the Review

AFTER THE REVIEW

Write it down, write everything down, every aspect of your conversation.Send it out for confirmation so you don’t miss anything and update where necessary.And this is why you don’t schedule them back to back to back.

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4. Change the Model

A SUGGESTED PROCESS

Monthly One-On-

OnesQuarterly Review

Mid-Way Review

Quarterly Review

Year-End

Works best for Teams of 8 - 10Keep your finger on

the pulse of what is happening

Very Informal, focus on how they are doing.

More Formal

Focus on Career

objectives and Growth

Are you on track towards your goals?

Where can I help you

achieve them?

Time to start thinking towards

next year.

Where do you need to focus.

Last-minute sprints to the end.

Less about the Quarter.

More about the Year In Review

How they Grew, what they

accomplished?

NEVER GO 3 MONTHS WITHOUT SITTING DOWN WITH YOUR TEAM

We all need course corrections and anything after 3 months is too long

to wait.

IN SUMMARY

Don’t think of your performance reviews as an equivalent to your monetary compensation.

Think of it as an opportunity for you to Grow. Train. Stay Sharp.

Accept it as a privilege to help guide someone in theirs.

It’s not about how many people you manage but how many kick-

ass things that you do. - Anonymous

Your career is up to you.

T h e e n dGreg Thomas

http://www.rambli.com