As 2020 is almost at a close, what better time than now to take stock of the year that has been, and look forward to what is ahead.
With so much talk of performance reviews being obsolete, I think there is still a place for them but with a different focus. Many clients we work with have annual or six-monthly check-ins, and I liken these to getting your car serviced. It’s what happens in between the services that determine how much work is done on the car.
If you regularly coach your team, the process of the actual performance review or preview (as we call them), should be effortless and there shouldn’t be any surprises. Coaching ensures there is ongoing and consistent feedback, and this results in real-time dialogue on what is working and what needs to change before it’s too late.
Ongoing feedback helps individuals and teams understand their strengths and weaknesses and how to manage them. Within the workplace, one of the best ways to promote self-awareness among employees is to foster a culture of peer feedback in conjunction with input from management. I am passionate about encouraging and educating others to share feedback, have open conversations, and bring in coaching to foster empowerment, awareness and ongoing growth to maximise performance.
Feedback is a great vehicle to promote self-awareness in and out of work. Be open to giving and receiving it so you can expand your self-awareness, as well as the self-awareness of those around you.
People are either internally or externally motivated.
Internally Motivated – When making a decision, internally motivated people will listen to feedback, but have usually already decided for themselves and will go with their original decision.
Externally Motivated – Those who are externally motivated will view feedback almost like an instruction, taking it entirely on board when making their decision.
Externally motivated people tend to like and need feedback.
Many senior leaders I come across tend to be internally focused, especially if they have been in a role for a long time. They rely on their intuition rather than seeking feedback from others. The danger of this is that they can become blinded to opportunity and miss out on feedback that could be helpful.
Ensure you give people feedback the way they like it. Some people like a lot of feedback, and some want less; some even prefer to receive feedback publicly.
When conducting performance reviews or appraisals, I believe, there should be a focus on “previewing” what’s next as opposed to spending time doing a total review on what has already occurred. You need to learn from the past; I believe 20% of the time should have a focus on the review. And 80% as a preview on what can be proactively planned and implemented.
The past is about learning, and the future is about progress.
5 simple questions to look at what’s next:
- Where are you now?
- What’s available to you?
- Where do you want to be?
- How will you get there?
- How will you know you are getting there?
I’m a huge advocate of learning from the past. 2020 has provided a forum for us to learn so much about ourselves and those around us. Take the lessons and meld them into what you want to happen next and who you want to become.
Lead to be limitless…
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Renée is a mentor, coach, expert facilitator and keynote speaker, She is the author of ‘Limitless Leadership’ and co-author of ‘Leaders of Influence’.
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