A Review is an opportunity for dialogue between the management and the team members. It is a wonderful opportunity when two can discuss the performance issues very openly and give and seek feedback. Following points must be taken care of while reviewing the performance of an individual or a team:
The boss and team member must build Trust with each other
The boss must take initiative to listen First…it makes the employee more receptive
Choose the Right Time for review
Express your Facts and not Opinion
Be Aware about the Impact of your Expressions on the team member
Ensure it is a Dialogue and it is Positive, Positive and Positive
Address the Behavior and Not the Person
Assume positive intent
While receiving the feedback from boss or colleagues one must take the following care
Listen actively and summarize what you hear
Ask for specific examples
Control defensiveness, Be approachable and receptive
You DECIDE what to do with the feedback
Reflect, Reflect and Reflect
Also, read – Why should you conduct a Performance Review?
Types of reviews:
Based on experience we recommend three type of reviews which will help the subordinate and the organization to excel in terms of Individual and Team Performance. We call it the STORM. The meaning of acronym STORM is Strategic, Tactical and Operational Review Meeting.
S: Strategic Review: This review is done once a month and covers the implementation of big strategies. The participants in this review are the heads of the departments and review is done by the senior most boss of the team. This review may take 4 hours to 6 hours. The action plan for improving the performance must be documented.
T: Tactical Review: Tactical review is done once a week. This is done by HOD- head of the department, for the team members. The subject of the discussion of review is the weekly performance and the next week’s targets. This review takes not more than 2 hours. This is a very focused review based on the performance data and root cause analysis. All the examples and incidents can be briefly discussed to find out irrelevant Action Plan.
O: Operational Review: This review is done on a daily basis by the Operation’s Manager. This review is done on a daily basis from the work done for that particular day. The purpose is to understand whether the task and activities taken up during that day have been satisfactorily done or not. This is also an opportunity to decide on the objectives of the next day. Any problems faced during the day should also be discussed so that the solution can be found out as soon as possible. This review should not take more than 15 minutes to half an hour depending upon the size of the team.
A review has its own importance. Therefore, it is the responsibility of senior management to ensure that these reviews are done with due diligence. Following important things should be taken into consideration while planning for the review:
The management should fix up the date and time in calendar for each review.
Sufficient time should be given to the team members to get prepared for the review.
The agenda and outcome must be circulated in advance and sufficient time should be given to the participants for preparation.
Time allotted for the review must not be exceeded. The management should ensure that time discipline is maintained, and the review meeting should start and close strictly on time
All data which is required to have a meaningful and objective discussion should be brought in by the participants.
Review session is a feedback session, therefore the feedback should be given and received in a very constructive manner. This is an opportunity for the management and the team members to give and receive feedback from each other.
We should follow the principle of constructive feedback for giving the feedback to each other.
In a nutshell, during the review, it is advised to focus on Strengths of the performer and what has been done. Talking about the strengths and wins of the performer encourages him and builds his trust in the supervisor. It can help him develop his career within the organization. During a review, identify the key areas from the performance period that need improvement and analyze the reasons for performance gaps, discuss and agree on action plan. At the end of the meeting, clarify ownership of actions to be taken, set the goals for the next performance period, identify training needs of performers and close the meeting with a positive note so that the team looks forward to the next review. Make sure that good performance is acknowledged and the team is motivated to deliver better results next time.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rakesh Sharma— Founder of Prime Performance Solutions
He is a Sales and Business Coach and Business Growth Architect. He has been recommended by many as the best Business Coach in India.
