7 Quick Tips to Make Performance Reviews Effective

Imagine standing inside a giant jar of jellybeans, minus the beans and delicious smell.

Looking through the glass, you can see there is a label, but you cannot figure out what it says. You can also see dozens of other people, all within their respective jars, none of whom can see what’s written on their own label.

You can see their label and they can see yours, but no one can see their own.

This is exactly where most of us find ourselves when it comes to understanding our own greatness and how to improve. We want growth, but it’s difficult to know how without gaining insight from others. Since we think we’re supposed to know what’s on the label, we end up with a recipe for insanity and stalled performance.

“Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” –Albert Einstein

Creating a systematic approach to giving and receiving feedback ensures consistency in having a chance to gain perspective, share our own and evolve in the process.

Here are seven quick tips to make performance reviews effective:

Set Specific Goals. When you know what goals are important to each of your team members, performance reviews become a vehicle for helping them succeed.

Purposeful. When you tie feedback to meaningful and specific results (individual or team), incorporating your feedback becomes worthwhile. 

Railroad Approach. By helping your team recognize how their professional goals contribute to your team goals, you set yourself up to provide helpful feedback for both parties. 

Deliberate Distress. By consistently (daily, when possible) creating opportunities for giving and receiving feedback, you train your team to let their guards down while remaining open to feedback.  

Take note. When you see an opportunity for improvement, or a chance to acknowledge a job well done, share in the moment (when appropriate and helpful). Take note of the experience so that you can easily highlight behavior patterns during more formal reviews.  

Reflective. Good performance reviews require reflection. By allowing yourself time to reflect on your team’s individual performances, you arm yourself with thoughtful and specific feedback that’s actionable and growth provoking.

Keep it Real. By consistently seeking feedback, you keep yourself tapped into the challenge of receiving difficult feedback along with the joy of hearing what a great job you’ve done. Both are helpful in adjusting your approach to have the greatest impact on others.

Find your way toward consistency in this area of your leadership and watch as you become a magnet for greatness.

Here’s to your greatness,

Misti Burmeister

P.S. If you’d like to attract the NFL players of your industry and aren’t sure where to begin, check out my latest book.