Many leaders are beginning to recognize the deficiencies in conducting annual performance reviews. Here are three problems that I see:
- A once-a-year approach delays real-time feedback until the situation is forgotten and the input is no longer constructive.
- Most managers don’t want to deal with the tension of a negative performance review, so they provide mostly positive (and inaccurate) assessments leaving a paper trail that suggests poor performers are performing well.
- Annual performance reviews are rarely rooted in the specifics of an employee’s job description or statement of deliverables. As such, the annual review can feel like an ambush when an employee is being held to a standard they had not seen or thought relevant to their job.
Some suggest that more frequent reviews are the answer but unless the methodology changes, increasing frequency only compounds the problem.
Some managers are embracing a new strategy to more effectivley encourage continual growth and development of their employees – coaching conversations.
Here are Five Ways Coaching Conversations Can Make a Difference
#1: Keep it Real. Coaching conversations are rooted in the actual experiences of employees rather than theoretical constructs. Trainers bring knowledge and information, but coaches bring curiosity and questions.
Trainers bring knowledge and information, but coaches bring curiosity and questions. Share on X#2: Focus on future potential and current performance. The best coaches tolerate some failure for the sake of learning and higher performance in the future. Mistakes are tolerated as they are a key element to learning. Employees need to be encouraged to get out of their comfort zone and into the discomfort zone where the best learning takes place.
Dear managers: please tolerate mistakes, they are key elements of learning. Share on X#3: Inner reflection. A coaching manager will ask simple, open-ended questions that encourage inner reflection, “What is the most important conversation we can have today?” or “What do you want to explore together?” Reflection is a missing piece in employee growth and development. Deep reflection allows individual learners to pursue what is important to them, not just what matters to the manager.
#4: Ownership. Staff, not the managers, must own the learning process. Too many managers take responsibility for their staff’s growth and development. Coaches keep the monkey on their back for their benefit.
#5: Create a coaching friendly context. Coaching conversations should have little to do with appraisal and evaluation. Managers create a healthy coaching context as they help their staff reflect on their daily actions, discuss their problems and explore opportunities. Fostering trust is the most important part of creating a coaching friendly context.
The best coaches manage the tension between the needs of the organization and the unique needs of the individual. To understand what the employee wants, you must ask, and then be willing to listen in the context of a coaching conversation.
The highest calling of a coaching manager is to see their staff become the best version of themselves. That is, to see them step into the fullness of their potential, dignity and worth.
Coaching conversations should be rooted in the actual experiences of employees. Share on X Staff, not managers, must own the learning process Share on X Trust between the leader & employee is key to shift from managing to coaching. Share on X The highest calling of a manager is to see their staff become the best version of themselves. Share on X
Great article Brett. I have lived lousy annual reviews, and exceptional ones. The 3 problems with annual performance reviews you raise, which I entirely agree with are problems, are essentially problems with the process and/or leadership. As part of a robust full performance management cycle, a well conducted annual review creates a written, documented and agreed record of performance and expectations, and should tie into annual compensation consideration (vs “everyone gets an inflationary increase”) as well as consideration for promotions and/or job enrichment.
You are right this should not preclude real time feedback and coaching “along the way” as an important tool. The annual review then is less of a surprise and more of a formal element of the whole process as a “stake in the ground” once in the year tied to other important HR cycle features.
The issues you raise seem to connect well with Randy Hain’s (Serviam Partners) observation as a top leadership consultant that organizations have “delegated” the responsibility to develop their people, instead viewing every training “need” or “opportunity” as time to call the consultant. Consultants can enhance the process and be called on for specific training needs, but companies, managers, leaders… should not abdicate their primary responsibility for developing people, and conducting a thorough, accurate, and yes – sometimes difficult – joint performance review is, in my view, consistent with that responsibility. Thanks for a great well thought out article as usual Brett!
Hey Doran. Thanks for the thoughtful reply. So true, there is benefit with consistent agreed upon performance evaluations. I may have minimized those benefits in my post 🙂 That said, one of the concerns I have in the Church is blanket adoption of business practices without any necessary scrutiny to determine if those practices should be adopted. I know you know exactly what I mean. Onward, upward!
Great work on Executive Disciple! Keep it up …
Blessings
Brett