Performance Review - The Conversation
A mindful and forward-looking conversation
(This is part 4 of the performance management series - I’m writing a series of posts for EMs to manage an individual's performance with specific cases and insights and how they can do a well thought out, fair and complete performance review. Check out the first 3 parts on: people dynamics about performance management , performance scale, criteria, calibration and the writing part if you missed it)
The conversation is about to start.
Conversation that will decide the course of action. A course that either propels your direct report further up in their career or that calls out a close collaboration to work on improvements to address identified performance concerns.
Once you and your direct report are done writing the performance review, it’s time to read each other’s write-up. You read their self assessment and they read your review written for them. Let’s take a look at each other’s point of view to see how the review and differences will be perceived and emotions that will be at play.
Your Point of View
As you read their self assessment, you might start to find some perspectives different from yours on their performance. Either you will come to know their contributions that you weren’t aware of or they haven’t completely realized their shortcomings. Make a note of them, do your homework and go prepared. Armed with insights from both perspectives, you're now ready to navigate the performance discussion and collaboratively shape the future course for your direct report.
Even though the conversation is about past performance, you need to be mindful of spending some time to discuss the future of the individual as well. Forward-looking discussions will encourage them to work on improvements by setting realistic goals and contribute better towards the team's success.
Their Point of View
It’s time to change sides. As a direct report reading your assessment written for them, it can invoke various emotions for them based on the individual, result, expectation and their mindset. Let’s take a look at different possibilities of reviews and how emotions could play a part in it.
EM inclined towards the critical side; Individual on the exceptional side
Initial impression: This possibility of assessment is more concerning and the main priority would be to bridge the understanding. Individual’s first question will be on why they were rated critical even if they think they did an exceptional job.
Emotions at play: Their emotions can range from disappointment and frustration to anxiety and resentment to motivation for improvement and some may request for additional support.
What should you do?: It’s important to acknowledge and empathize with their emotions and thoughts at first. Effective communication and follow-up discussions are crucial in such situations. You should provide clear, specific, and constructive feedback, offer support for improvement, and collaboratively set goals to ensure the direct reports understand the path forward. Open dialogue and a supportive approach can help turn a challenging review into an opportunity for growth and development.
EM and Individual both inclined towards the exceptional side
Initial impression: With this assessment result, it’s forward looking and sets the individual up for further growth.
Emotions at play: Their emotions can range from satisfaction and motivation to sense of accomplishment and pride.
What should you do?: It’s important to acknowledge their efforts and appreciate them for their achievement and success. While positive feedback is valuable, it's essential for you to provide a balanced and constructive review. To leverage their strengths and address areas of growth, work together with them to create a tailored development plan. This may include leadership training and targeted mentorship. Provide regular check-ins for ongoing feedback and collaboration to ensure their sustained professional growth.
EM inclined towards the exceptional side; Individual towards the critical side
Initial impression: With this assessment result, it’s important to pause for a moment and understand whether you are overly positive on the individual’s performance. On the other hand, the individual will be curious to know your perspective.
Emotions at play: Their emotions can range from curiosity and motivation to sense of accomplishment and understanding.
What you should do?: You should look to read their self assessment in detail and be all ears to them during the conversation to review areas where the individual assessed themselves lesser than yours. Being overly positive without addressing genuine concerns can lead to a lack of credibility and may not provide the necessary guidance for professional development.
EM and Individual both inclined towards the critical side
Initial impression: With this assessment result, individuals are looking for your support and open for feedback to improve on their self-critical performance.
Emotions at play: Their emotions can range from concern and stress to determination and motivation to commitment and request for additional support. As they themselves realized their low performance, there will not be a moment of frustration or resentment. They were hopeful that you can support and work with them to help them perform better.
What should you do?: It’s important to acknowledge and empathize with their emotions and thoughts at first. Effective communication and follow-up discussions are crucial in such situations. You should provide clear, specific, and constructive feedback, offer support for improvement, and collaboratively set goals to ensure the direct reports understand the path forward. As they assess themselves critically, they will be keen to look for learning, opportunities for growth and development.
Having a considerable difference in assessment from each other’s point of view signifies there is a misalignment in expectations and success criteria and that underlines the need for continuous feedback to flow more often than before.
When to have the conversation after individuals reading your review? - I would recommend not to book the conversation too early leaving them very less time to process the review or not too late as it may intimidate them whereas they prefer to have it discussed earlier. Ideal time would be to have the conversation after 2-3 days of reading the review.
Conversation Starts
Your turn: As like any conversation, greet the individual and after casual discussion, start the actual performance review conversation by thanking them for the contribution they have made in that performance cycle. As a conversation preview, tell about the impactful projects that they have led or part of and recognize their effort. Next up, mention areas of improvements without going much in depth and save it for later in-detail discussion.
End on a positive and supporting note assuring that you’re there to help them out:
“Recognizing these challenges is a crucial step in our collective journey toward improvement as it impacts the team’s overall goals.
Let’s collaboratively explore strategies to address these concerns and work towards improvement. This may involve additional support, training opportunities, or adjustments to our current ways of working. Your input on how we can best approach these improvements is valuable. Our goal is to create a constructive and supportive environment that facilitates your professional growth. I believe that, with the right strategies and support, we can overcome these challenges together.”
Once you give a short preview to the performance review conversation, give them the stage to express their perspective on their performance.
Their turn: Based on the personality and the kind of emotions they’re going through on seeing the assessment result, they might be anywhere in the scale of positivity.
They might be highly positive and motivated on seeing an exceptional rating. If they are satisfied and motivated you might hear following phrases,
"I want to express my sincere gratitude for the positive feedback in the performance review. It's truly motivating to see my efforts acknowledged, and I'm thrilled to know that my contributions are making a positive impact. This recognition inspires me to continue giving my best and to explore further opportunities for growth within the team. Thank you for your support and encouragement."
They might be having a sense of resentment or determination to learn and perform better on seeing a critical rating - it’s purely based on the individual. It’s important that you don’t interrupt them but listen to their point of view. If they are in resentment, you might hear following phrases,
“I can't help but feel frustrated and disappointed after reading the performance review. I expected a more balanced assessment of my efforts, and it's disheartening to see such a negative perspective. I believe there are areas where the review doesn't accurately reflect my contributions. I'm open to discussing this further, but I can't deny my disappointment in the evaluation.”
As you both took turns and set the context for further discussion, it’s time to get into the details.
Conversation Progresses
The meaty part.
Your turn: As you and your direct report are entering the core part of the conversation, explain the review in detail and mention specific projects or scenarios based on what the performance was reviewed. Be clear, specific and constructive in sharing your perspective without getting too personal or blaming the individual. Give them a glimpse on the impact it created and how something could have been done better. Instead of going through all the details at once, you can pause after sharing feedback on a specific project or scenario and ask for their perspective. Here is an example phrase,
“One of the major challenges observed was with Project X. The project timeline stretched significantly beyond the initially agreed-upon deadline, affecting not only your deliverables but also causing a delay in the entire project cycle. This lapse in meeting deadlines is a critical aspect that needs urgent attention.
While challenges exist, it's essential to recognize areas where you have demonstrated strength. Your problem-solving skills were evident in troubleshooting issues during the testing phase of Project Z. This strength, however, needs to be consistently applied to all aspects of your work.”
Their turn: They explain their perspective and they may agree and add some notes on top of your perspective. Or they might disagree and provide you more data points. Listen to them and clarify any questions you might have at this point.
“I appreciate the feedback on Project X, and I acknowledge the challenges we faced with the project timeline. However, I would like to provide additional context to the situation. Several external factors, beyond my control, significantly contributed to the delays. I believe a more comprehensive understanding of the challenges we encountered would provide a fairer assessment. On the positive note, I'm grateful for the recognition of my problem-solving skills in Project Z. Moving forward, I am committed to applying these strengths consistently across all aspects of my work and addressing any concerns raised.”
You exchange turns until you finish discussing performance criteria and specific assessment in detail. With better understanding than from the time you started the conversation, you move towards the lateral part of the conversation which should focus on next steps, agreements and reassurance.
Conversation Ends
As the conversation is coming towards the end, acknowledge their efforts once again and assure them that you will support and work with them closely on the next steps and continuous improvement. Give them the stage to share their final words and ask them how they are feeling.
Should salary be part of the current conversation?: It doesn’t have to be but it will be on the cards and back of the individual’s mind on the impact of the salary they are earning. Be mindful and set up a follow up meeting to discuss numbers and the decision made on promotion and other possibilities.
Improvements Starts
Driving improvements is the sole purpose of performance reviews. Encourage your direct report to start the improvements from where the conversation ends.
That’s all for now - You’ve seen how to have a mindful and forward looking performance review conversation. What’s your experience? How you would do the conversation? - Share your thoughts.
Up next: In the last part of the performance management series, I’ll write about what follows up after the performance review is over - promotion and the numbers (salary part 🤑💰). Stay tuned.