One thing that only you can do as a leader is to evaluate and assess your team’s performance. This is one thing you cannot delegate and it’s all on your shoulders. It will define your leadership in ways nothing else can. If you think about your responsibilities as a leader, some things you can delegate and some things you cannot. Evaluating your team’s performance – you know them best; you know what they are working on, and you have conducted their 1on1’s… So, it’s up to you!
Expectations are Critical
After we have set team expectations, which we talked about my last post, let’s think about how we can create effective evaluations and assessments – a few key factors to consider:
- Timely and straightforward feedback
- Being honest and authentic with your team
- Specific examples of their work
- No surprises!
- Do your homework and prepare
Timely and straightforward
No one wants to hear about how they performed months ago – people want immediate feedback on how they are doing. So, there is no reason to wait – if you see something share it with them. An old adage but good one is to “praise in public and correct in private” – so think about where and when you are providing feedback. Straightforward, don’t try to “sugar coat” things or “dance around the issue” – state it clearly and confirm that they understand what you are trying to say.
Be Honest and Authentic
No one wants to be lied to, ever! Being open and honest builds your credibility with your team. Are there things you can’t share or shouldn’t share – of course! And you have to leave those out of the conversation. Sometimes it’s difficult to handle that fine line of what you can and cannot say for legal or other confidential reasons. Be yourself and let them know you have their back – they will respond
Be Specific in Providing Feedback
Provide both positive and negative specific examples of their work and what your reaction. A great practice is to collect things about each of your team. Create a folder for each person in your email and drop emails that capture examples. Get in the habit of looking for examples to share – collect them and share them. People appreciate you taking the time to collect specifics – your team won’t improve with generalities… It is easier to work from specifics and point out what you are looking for. I am a big believer in capturing the little things and at year end sharing them in my formal reviews. People often forget what happened and they are delighted when you remind them of something positive from months back. As for the negative examples – don’t wait! Get those out there right away, depending on the circumstances you might need to include in a formal review later. Balance as much as possible between positive performance and areas for improvement. Always make sure you have areas for improvement to discuss. No matter where we are today, we can always challenge ourselves to improve.
A great practice for formal reviews is to think about the story you want to tell, what worked, what didn’t and where you are challenging them to go in the future. Collecting examples improves the richness and the authenticity of the story you want to share.
No Surprises
If you are conducting 1 on 1’ s and you are communicating with your team effectively, there should never be any surprises. Your people will appreciate it, no one wants the “gotcha surprise” in terms of their work performance.
Prepare for the Meeting
Do your homework and prepare, for both informal and formal reviews. I admit for many years as a leader – I did the easy thing and didn’t prepare. I wrote some crappy reviews – you know, the “you’re doing a good job, keep it up” useless information for improving or rewarding your team. I learned the hard way from one the toughest guys I’ve ever worked for… Former US Army Ranger, up at 4 AM, started working at 5 AM and when I got into the office at 7 – had a laundry list of questions for me… My first formal review with him, blew me away… He asked me how much time I spent preparing for the meeting – I said, “I looked over it and made some notes.” He said he had taken hours to prepare, because it was that important and asked me why I didn’t think it was important… Obviously, that one got my attention and still does! He then proceeded with the most thorough carefully prepared evaluation of my work – specific examples, well thought out plans to improve and to help me focus on what was important for our business. I have never looked at a review the same way again! I came to understand how important my assessment was for my team. I owe them the time and preparation needed to demonstrate how important this is for both of us. Combine that with the fact that this is task only you can do effectively – don’t your people deserve your best work?
Evaluations are on-going
So, let’s think about evaluations as an on-going process the culminates in that formal year-end review. If your organization doesn’t have a formal review process – create one… Develop the skills and create the habits that people will talk about for year to come. Be the leader that gets the best out of their people by being engaged in a performance dialog with them every day! Don’t forget to ask for feedback and make sure you both agree on the assessment.
A few simple things to think about when it comes to evaluating your team… Timely and straightforward feedback; honest and authentic; provide specific examples; no surprises, do your homework and be prepared.
You got this!
Lastly, I’ll add – enjoy it! This is your opportunity to demonstrate your leadership directly with your team
Start today – build the folders, create your process and start collecting examples. Set time aside with your team and tell them you’d like to review their progress. I’m writing this in July, which for most companies is the perfect time of the year to look at annual performance, review goals and project status. You’ve got 5 months or so to course correct if needed with your team – we know the year end is coming… So be ready for it and help your people to achieve more this year.
What do you think?
I would love to answer your questions or provide feedback on your comments. You can connect with me online, at www.danromani.com
Dan Romani is the founder of Dan Romani Business Coaching, where we work with new leaders to help them overcome the challenge to succeed. Over 60% of new leaders fail in their first 2 years – that’s where we can help. If you’re ready to excel at being a new leader, then stay tuned. We’ll talk about it and share ideas as well as tips for becoming the leader you want to be.