#performancemanagement

Do You Know What is Expected of You?

In my coaching calls last week there was a lot of talk about performance management. Whether I was talking to the manager or the individual contributor I asked if the employee in question knew what was expected of them. I asked individuals if they knew what the manager wanted, by when, and how they would accomplish what was needed? For the manager, I asked if they were they clear in communicating what the employee needs to do, and how they would support them? This mismatch of understanding is often a great source of conflict for both. It’s funny how both parties get impacted. Both get frustrated, question themselves and each ends up dissatisfied in the relationship.

What can both the manager and employee do to help start with a clear understanding? Typically, companies set goals for employees either quarterly, biannually or annually. Those goals are documented so that each person knows and understands what they need to accomplish and by when. Managers can really help by using frameworks such as OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) or goals that are SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time bound) to get really clear on what the objective is.

For example, asking employees “to grow their understanding of the new ERP system by the end of the quarter” is vague and leaves too much room for interpretation. We have a big disconnect if I have learned 2 modules and the manager thought 5 modules is more of what they wanted to see. I would not have met the managers expectations in this example. Also, I would have been frustrated when I received a “partially meets” on my performance of this objective. Managers need to be as specific as possible as to what successfully meeting the goal means. If individuals see an objective that is vague, ask the manager to be specific or make a recommendation to the manager about what you think is best. This can help drive a conversation between the two of you to get to greater specificity.

You also see this misalignment of expectations when performance starts to shift to the negative. Prior to being placed on a performance improvement plan (PIP) there ought to be a lot of dialogue about why the employee is not meeting expectations. What is it that they are not doing? Missing a deadline is easy to define. Not acting as a team player is more difficult. Providing solid examples of what you as the manager need to see to correct the situation is critical to the employee’s success, as well as your own. Employees need to be diligent in not only understanding what is expected, but also informing the manager of progress. The manager doesn’t see all that is going on. This is especially true if you are remote from your manager, and in the midst of a pandemic we are mostly remote. Usually the manager and employee meet more than they normally would during this time to assess whether progress is being made against the expectations set. It is very beneficial for the employee to report on what has been done. It is up to the manager to provide coaching and feedback as to whether enough progress has been made. And managers, it is quite unfair to change expectations midway through the process.

Relationships have been hurt, employees have left jobs because they didn’t believe they could be successful, people have been terminated as a result of unclear expectations. If you are the manager, be very clear. If you are the employee, ask questions. Clear communication on both sides will go a very long way in building a relationship of trust.

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How to Make the Most of Your Midyear Review

Last week the topic of midyear reviews came up numerous times so I thought I would address some of the questions that arose.  In all of my years of management I can tell you that people want to receive feedback, however, the more formal process of the performance appraisal and the midyear review are perceived as a negative.  There are many reasons for this one being the time that it takes to complete.  Questions that come up often are: What do I write?  How much do I write? How do I talk about myself in a way that doesn’t sound like bragging?  What’s the importance of it if only my manager is going to see it?

All very good questions so let’s take a look at them.  What do I write?  Most individuals in companies and organizations have goals to be accomplished, and these goals can be quarterly goals, midyear goals or goals for the year. Always use the goals that have been set by you and your manager as a way to drive your midyear narrative. Focus on outcomes and results as a way to be clear about what you have done, and then include how you accomplished what you did, especially if it was complex. For instance, if you were a project lead and needed to drive consensus across stakeholders, include that.  This is a skill that is critical in project management and an important skill across the business.  Illustrating how you have used that skill is important.

Many of the forms that companies use allow for additional reporting somewhere on the form.  Use that area for those items that you want to include that may be unrelated to the goals agreed upon by you and your manager.  If you have had the opportunity to work on items outside the scope of your job, you want to get credit for that.  There are times you do things (i.e. mentoring a new employee) that your manager might not be aware of.  The caution is not to give every detail about your day to day operations, but how you did against the goals set by you and your manager, as well as anything that you did above and beyond that.

In completing your self-appraisal, you want to ensure your manager knows what you have accomplished and how you have attained success even if only partially at the midyear.  This is especially important if you have a remote manager, and today in a pandemic, many are working from home so everything being done is remote from your manager.  If managers are not doing one on one’s regularly, how will they know what you have accomplished if you don’t tell them?

Generally speaking, I hear from more women than men that they don’t want to sound like they are bragging about their accomplishments.  Speaking in “I” versus “we” can be difficult but necessary.  Both are important in our vocabulary since we all work together and there are many handoffs in how work is completed.  However, it is important to differentiate yourself from the “we.”  For instance, “I led the team through a series of workshops and as a result we were able to complete the development on time.”  This is different than, “We conducted 4 workshops and completed the development on time.”  In the second I do not know what role you played. For women (and this goes for men too) talk about impact to the team and/or the business as it relates to your results.  This may make using “I” easier, and if there is any implicit gender bias from the reader’s perspective it still reads “team player.”

Managers are typically the one’s looking at mid-year reviews, however, there are lots of good reasons for doing them.  We talked about the issue of remote management which makes this review important. This is also a time for you to review and reflect on the work that you are doing.  Am I doing good work?  Is it fulfilling and purposeful?  Do I need to course correct to get my progress back on track?  What do I need from my manager to be successful? Do my goals need to be revised because of a change in the organization or department? Where do I want or need to grow and develop? 

We don’t often spend enough time thinking about these questions. Having the chance to answer those questions makes the process worthwhile, and hopefully allows you to feel like you are doing meaningful work. 

If your company conducts a yearly performance appraisal, completing the midyear review well will make it easier to complete at year end. Take the time to make it count!