Delivering Performance Appraisals with Less Stress and Better Results Presented by Andrew Sanderbeck

How to set the tone and lay the groundwork for your conversation The Do’s and Don’ts of delivering Performance Appraisals How to use tools including Goal Setting, Action Plans and Gap Analysis to frame feedback with your employees

Setting the Tone/ Expectations Hold “performance planning” sessions with each of your direct reports throughout the year, to discuss that person’s goals and your expectations.

Setting the Tone/ Expectations The performance review doesn’t start with a sit-down in your office/spare room. You must be clear from the outset how you’ll evaluate your employees.

Setting the Tone/ Expectations .Listen carefully to your employees’ personal ambitions, as it will inform the way you assess their work. Oftentimes managers/supervisors are evaluating performance without necessarily knowing what people’s workplace aspirations are.

How Will Using Some These Planning Tools Lower Your Levels of Stress?

Lay the Groundwork

Go Over Your Notes

One Hour or One Day Before Give your employee a copy of his/her appraisal. That way, he/she can have their initial emotional response — positive or negative — in private. When people read someone’s assessment of them, they are going to have all sorts of churning emotions. Let them have that on their own time, and give them a chance to think about it. Then with a calmer, cooler head, the employee can prepare for a rational and constructive conversation.

The Do’s and Don’ts of delivering Performance Appraisals Too often the face-to-face conversation takes the form of a “feedback sandwich:” compliments, criticism, more niceties.

The Do’s and Don’ts of delivering Performance Appraisals Most people are good solid workers, so for the vast majority, you should concentrate on things the person has done well.

The Do’s and Don’ts of delivering Performance Appraisals For your marginal workers, however, do not sugarcoat bad news. Performance reviews are your chance to constructively approach poor performance and chart out improvement and consequences.

The Do’s and Don’ts of delivering Performance Appraisals As time goes on, that person is not going to get a promotion and not going to get a raise. You’re not doing this person any favors by avoiding their deficiencies.

The Do’s and Don’ts of delivering Performance Appraisals What if they adamantly disagree with your appraisal, take it personally or even threaten to go to your boss because “you’re wrong!”.

The Do’s and Don’ts of delivering Performance Appraisals Make it clear at the beginning of the year how you’ll evaluate your employees with individual performance planning sessions Give your employees a copy of their appraisal before the meeting so they may have their initial emotional response in private Deliver a positive message to your good performers by mainly concentrating on their strengths and achievements during the conversation

The Do’s and Don’ts of delivering Performance Appraisals Offer general feedback; be specific on behaviors you want your employee to stop, start, and continue Talk about compensation during the review, if applicable Sugarcoat the review for your poor performers; use the face-to-face as an opportunity to demand improvement

How Will These Techniques Help You to Get Better Results

Use Coaching to Ensure Behavior Change

Focus on the Behavior, Not the Person Constructively Coach Focus on the Behavior, Not the Person

Constructively Coach After discussing the strengths and achievements of your solid performers, ask them how they feel about how things are going. In most cases you’re dealing with mature adults and you’ll elicit their honest concerns.

Constructively Coach Be Specific “Don’t say things like: ‘You need to be more proactive.’ That doesn’t mean anything. Say something like: ‘You need to take more initiative in...'” Similarly, “Saying: ‘You’re an innovator’ is nice but it’s helpful to know exactly what they’re doing that reflects that.”

Objectivity vs. Subjectivity

Fluff and Double Fluff Do this exercise with the class and have them give you the answer on the next slide. Feel free to add fly-ins if you choose

Tools for Framing Feedback and Measuring Results

Quote from Tom Peters

Tools for Framing Feedback Stop Start Continue

Tools for Framing Feedback Goal Setting

Tools for Framing Feedback Gap Analysis

Tools for Framing Feedback Action Plans

And Keep This Tool Handy… What, What, Why

How Will Using Some These Tools Lower Your Levels of Stress?

Questions? One Thing!

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