It is important to discern that evaluating people’s performance is not judging them but rather what they did according to what they had agreed. The agreed-to SMART objectives would have been articulated in advance with established criteria upon which to measure and assess the performance against those targets. They comprise of the expectations as well as the consequences of meeting or not meeting those expectations. However, the review doesn’t have to be negative. Even though we are not perfect and have much room to improve, we also produce positive outcomes.
Perhaps a more apropos view of the periodic exercise would be that of “performance preview” whereby the benchmarks are stated in advance so that there are no surprizes when the performance is appraised at the end of each regular period, be it annually, quarterly, or more frequently. Thus, an affirmative action is to refer to the periodic exercise as “performance appraisals” instead of “performance reviews.”
By transforming our thinking with a renewal of the mind, instead of undertaking performance reviews we need to proactively undertake performance previews. This approach looks ahead to what is needed for people to perform well, and to strive for excellence in whatever they will do. The preview discussion would address WHAT goals and deliverables are expected and HOW they can be achieved, including the necessary personal development objectives to enable them to be successful.
One of the tips in Charity Village’s “Six Tips for Successful Executive Director Performance Reviews” is “Don’t put all of your eggs in the annual review basket – provide feedback throughout the year.” Therefore, to be more agile, a “check-in” (as opposed to check-up) process should be implemented whereby the supervisor and subordinate check-in with each other on a regular basis throughout the period (e.g., quarterly) instead of at the end of the year (e.g., annual check-up) and be surprized. Real-time (i.e., current and timely) and ongoing (i.e., regular and periodic) feedback provides course correction and guidance as the worker navigates along the way rather than at the end of the journey.
Bottom line: Whether it is a preview, review or appraisal, the object is on performance, and not an evaluation of the person.