I’ve seen there are two kinds of managers: those who phone in performance and those who put the effort in to make it worth something for their employees. There are also those managers who think they are good at performance because they check the box, not knowing there is a heaping pile of value left on the table. They fall into category one.
I’m going to outline the bare bones of what I expect from myself for a performance cycle, and you can see how you measure up or what you’d change in my methods. This is a great article for anyone who wants to compare the performance appraisals they receive to what I would consider adequate. This is also a useful tool for anyone who is leading a team. Leaders, managers, bosses, mentors—whatever you think of yourself as—my articles are for you.
A broad outline of what “good looks like” for performance:
- Coaching mindset.
- Honest and direct reviews.
- Regular time intervals.
- Direction in line with skills and dreams.
- Objective, provable, yes/no.
Let’s break these down.
Coaching Mindset
As a manager, your goal is to—say it with me, folks—“not be needed.” By coaching our team to improve, we give them more responsibility, make them more capable, and ideally create a high-performing team where we aren’t needed as much as we were. Extrapolating this to the context of performance, your goal is to evaluate everyone against what you measure they are capable of and find ways to help them grow and improve.
Managing doesn’t capture the philosophical attitude of growth mindset we need to have with the people in our charge. This is why I prescribe the coaching mindset. Coaches are there for the players. They build the rosters, evaluate strengths and weaknesses, and train their team for long-term performance. They understand that the strengths of one player may cover the weaknesses of another. In this way, they evaluate the whole and the player and help all people shine.
Honest and Direct Reviews
This is easy to talk about and very hard to do. There aren’t many people who can execute a direct performance review while maintaining rapport and trust with a team. Honest and direct feedback is how we grow, and people need to hear it. > If you know your team and you’re a good coach, you fully understand the work that needs to get done and the people you have to do it. In that comes understanding how all your players are doing. Who is doing extremely well, so well they could be overburdened and at risk for burnout? Who is underperforming and slacking a bit? Who is wicked smart but needs to up their delivery?
My advice for giving honest and direct feedback? Look at the good first. Be scrupulous in defining people’s strengths and the positive light they share with the work. Then, before providing feedback, ensure your feedback is measurable, objective, and in line with the person’s career trajectory.
Regular Time Intervals
Do good coaches only meet with their athletes once a year after the big game? The best time for performance is all the time. > Kim Scott writes about this in Radical Candor, a must-read for anyone who considers themselves a leader in any capacity. (Scott 2017) Waiting until the end of the year blindsides employees with your honest thoughts. It adds unnecessary tension and anxiety to the “ceremony” of performance.
In my own company, Kestryl Edge LLC, we do annual performance in the summer. No holidays and no end-of-year accounting to distract from what matters. We give feedback immediately and give recognition of work constantly. I do monthly 1:1s with my employees and treat each like a mini-performance session.
Direction in Line with Skills and Dreams
It sounds corny; it’s not. Do you know what each of your team members’ dream jobs are? If not, this is your homework assignment. Feedback is way easier to take and implement if there’s a “why” behind it.
We don’t coach for a day; we coach for a life. Imagine having a boss who cared about where you wanted to be in a few years and took active steps to help you get there. This could be you! Now go finish your homework!
Objective, Provable, Yes/No
Goals need to be provable. I train my teams to write them in such a way that no one could take an opinion on if it was finished or not. Make it black and white; collect receipts.
I’ve worked in fields where I would complete my employees’ performance appraisal and then my boss, and my boss’s boss, would change my employees’ ratings. This is, first of all, atrocious, and it makes my blood boil. Second off, there isn’t much you can do without receipts. Receipts protect your employees’ work when they do well.
Having provable goals mitigates friction from the start. It sets the expectation that the employee is personally responsible for completing their goal and for collecting the evidence of completion. The evidence is everything.
Remember, we’re coaching for the long game.
More soon,
Dan
Be a part of the solution: www.kestryledge.com
References
- Scott, Kim. Radical Candor: Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2017.