Performance management is a well-intended, yet often poorly executed, business practice. It’s time to rethink how we do this. There are actions we can take to minimize the traps and instead, help set managers up for successful, productive performance discussions, even when those discussions are difficult.
First, let’s consider what gets in the way. Some common derailers that I’ve experienced, and observed, are:
- Ambiguous metrics where the work wasn’t done at the beginning of the year to ensure there was a shared understanding of what success looks like.
- Irrelevant metrics where team members don’t know how their work fits in.
- Metrics that are imposed, without dialogue about why this metric matters.
- Progress to metrics that isn’t adequately tracked, or discussed, throughout the year.
This creates compliance instead of buy-in, results in leaders scrambling to complete performance appraisals and leaves team members feeling like their efforts were insufficiently recognized.
What can be done to mitigate the chances of these derailers from happening?
1. Ensure a shared understanding of success. Define metrics and targets early. Instead of assigning them, co-create them. Team members will have a greater sense of ownership when they have had an opportunity to influence their goals.
2. Be clear on how your own objectives as a leader relate to your boss’ goals and the goals of the overall function, or company. This will help you provide the context your team needs as to why their efforts matter and the impact of missing targets.
3. Test for cross-functional alignment. Other teams may be relying on your team and vice versa. Rare is the individual whose goals are not in some way, impacted by another. Are your peers ready to support your team? Are you prepared to support theirs? Initiate discussions with key peers on what you need and you’ll be paving the way for your team to be productive, avoiding the wasted time and energy teams spend jockeying for attention from colleagues whose efforts aren’t aligned with theirs.
4. Support progress throughout the year with productive 1-1 meetings that focus on each objective and includes observations on performance so far.
5. Check your mindset about how you facilitate 1-1 meetings and performance discussions. View these discussions as a partnership as opposed to a powerplay. A partnership lens addresses obstacles in collaborative ways and provides feedback that is offered instead of bestowed.
6. Talk about progress to objectives as a team. Foster engaging team discussions that encourage different, and dissenting, points of view and that put progress to team objectives on the agenda on frequent and consistent basis.
What are you doing differently this year in your approach to performance management?
