February 25, 2025 • 45 mins
Do you dread giving or receiving performance reviews? If so, what causes that anxiety, stress, or avoidance?
In this episode of the Shedding the Corporate Bitch Podcast, host Bernadette Bowes dives deep into the world of performance reviews—those annual or semi-annual evaluations that often spark anxiety and uncertainty among employees and managers alike. Bernadette explores how mastering both giving and receiving feedback can unlock your career potential and transform performance reviews into a year-round strategy for growth.
Key Challenges Discussed:
- The common anxieties and misconceptions surrounding performance reviews.
- Balancing honesty with encouragement in feedback to avoid demotivating employees.
- The inadvertent biases that can skew a manager’s assessment and feedback.
- Creating a performance review culture that prevents surprise negative feedback.
- How a lack of detailed, specific, and constructive feedback can leave employees confused and disheartened.
Key Talking Points:
- The significance of viewing feedback as a gift that can reveal your strengths, weaknesses, and blind spots.
- The necessity for managers to build trust and open communication channels, fostering a collaborative feedback environment.
- Implementing a notebook strategy for managers to document employee progress throughout the year.
- The challenges faced by employees in receiving feedback, including preparing mentally and emotionally to embrace performance evaluations.
- Strategies for both managers and employees to turn feedback into actionable plans for professional and personal development.
Social Media Handles:
- Subscribe and follow the Shedding the Corporate Bitch Podcast on all major podcast streaming services - https://pod.link/shedthecorporatebitch and on YouTube for more insights on becoming a powerhouse leader - @ShedtheCorpBitchTV
Remember, performance reviews should not be a dreaded formality but an opportunity for growth, trust-building, and career development. Whether you're giving or receiving feedback, embrace the opportunity to learn and improve. For more tips and to schedule a coaching session, reach out to Bernadette Bowes for personalized strategies. Share this episode with colleagues to foster an environment of constructive feedback and professional growth.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Be honest when you hear performance review, do you
feel excited or anxious?
Do you see it as a steppingstone for growth or just another
corporate formality?
What if I told you thatmastering both giving and
receiving performance reviewscould be the key to unlocking
your career potential?
(00:22):
Welcome to Shedding theCorporate Bitch.
I'm Bernadette Bowes and we arecutting through the corporate
noise and getting real about thestrategies that drive success.
Today, we're breaking downperformance reviews the good,
the bad and the game-changing.
Together, we'll discover how togive constructive, honest
feedback without demotivatingyour team, and how to receive
(00:46):
feedback without feelingdispensive or discouraged.
And, lastly, how to turn a oncea year or mid-year and end of
year process into a year-roundstrategy, because it's
imperative that we look atcritical feedback as a gift, as
a way for us to tap in to ourstrengths, our weaknesses and
(01:08):
our blind spots that could bepropelling us forward but also
holding us back.
And, at the same time, there'stremendous benefit for managers
and employees, in that it reallyincreases trust and
communication between theleaders and their employees as
well clarifies career paths andopportunities for professional
(01:29):
development.
Lastly, creates a stronger, moreengaged and high-performing
team.
So, whether you're a manager,hr leader or the employee.
You'll walk away with a simpleframework for delivering
meaningful feedback, andstrategies to transform feedback
positive or negative intoaction, and learn how to use
(01:51):
performance reviews as a tool toelevate your career, because
the first thing I want you towalk away with is to embrace the
fact that feedback is a gift.
Now be sure to follow,subscribe and like the show so
you and your colleagues can takepart each week in becoming the
powerhouse leader you're meantto be.
(02:12):
Check us out on any one of yourpodcast streaming services and
on YouTube.
Let's dive in.
Speaker 2 (02:19):
Welcome to Shedding the Corporate Bitch, the podcast
that transforms today'smanagers into tomorrow's
powerhouse leaders.
Your host, bernadette Boas,executive coach and author,
brings you into a world wherethe corporate grind meets
personal growth and success ineach and every episode.
With more than 25 years incorporate trenches, bernadette's
own journey from beingdismissed as a tyrant boss to
(02:40):
becoming a sought-afterleadership coach and speaker
illustrates the very essence oftransformation that she now
inspires in others with her tips, strategies and stories.
So if you're ready to shed thebitches of fear and insecurity,
ditch the imposter syndrome andstep into the role of the
powerhouse leader you were bornto be, this podcast is for you.
Let's do this.
Speaker 1 (03:04):
Performance reviews.
They're dreaded by many, theyare embraced by few, but they're
critical and necessary foreveryone.
So today we're going to getinto just how to master giving
and receiving feedback toelevate your skills, your people
skills, your career paths andthe leadership impact that
(03:25):
you're having on those aroundyou, no matter what level of the
organization that you're in.
And so why are performancereviews so critical?
Well, because they provide younot only a recap of what your
goals were and how you operatedagainst those goals, but, more
so, they provide you the insightthat you need in order to see
(03:49):
the experience you're creatingfor others around you, the
perception they have of you as aworker, as a person, as a
leader, as a contributor to thebusiness, to their team, to the
project at hand.
And, at the same time, itreally provides you an
opportunity to think throughwhat it is that you want to be
(04:12):
achieving in your career, whathelp you need, what support you
need, and then laying it out soboth your manager understands
exactly where you feel you arein your development and your
achievement of your goals, butalso where you want to go as far
(04:33):
as your career path, while atthe same time, it gives your
manager that opportunity to sayall right, so that's your plan
and that's your assessment ofhow you performed this past year
.
Let me shed some light on that,or let me shed some reality on
that, because many of us don'thave a really clear, honest view
(04:57):
on how are we showing up, howare we contributing to the
business, how are we addingvalue, how are we impacting to
the business, how are we addingvalue, how are we impacting
those around us?
And, at the same time,performance reviews gives you an
opportunity to really breakdown the old misconception that
(05:18):
performance reviews are just acheck off on a list or it's just
a formality in a businessenvironment.
Instead, what the performancereview process should also
really ensure that it'smessaging is that this is a
career development tool, this isa leadership growth tool.
(05:41):
This is a gift of you gettingthe feedback that's needed.
So performance reviews, orbasically just critical feedback
, really needs to be looked atas something that you welcome
and that you seek out, evenproactively, outside the formal
(06:03):
beginning of year, mid-year typeof performance review process.
Now, as a leadership andexecutive coach, before, during
and after the performance reviewprocess, my clients certainly
bring me their concerns, thechallenges that they're having
the opportunities that they'relooking for, the construction of
(06:28):
the communication that theywant to message during their
review process, whether that'sas part of the written
performance review or it's thepost where they've received
their final rating.
They've received their finalfeedback from their manager and
now they want to kind ofconstruct any type of response
(06:50):
or any type of collaborationwith their manager when they do
finally sit down and have anopportunity to go through it and
have a dialogue, have acollaboration, because that's
what performance reviews need tobe.
It's not the manager tellingemployee how they're doing or
(07:10):
how they're not doing.
It's a collaboration tounderstand what they were tasked
to do, what they've done, whatchallenges or opportunities
presented themselves throughoutthe time period, what support
and help do they need, whatcareer change or opportunities
(07:31):
in their career path are therefor them, so forth and so on.
It should be a two-waycollaboration and not just a one
directional telling or makingstatements to an employee, and
that's why it's so critical tounderstand what it really takes
(07:52):
to give feedback and then, onthe flip side, receive it,
because every one of us, nomatter what level of an
organization we're in, every oneof us receives feedback from
someone and therefore, it'sreally important that, if you're
a manager, you need to be ableto receive it and, in the same
(08:14):
vein, give it in such a way thatyour employees are also
receiving it in a constructive,motivating, supportive way,
because that's how you should bealso receiving it from your own
managers.
And what you want to be carefulof is setting an example or
(08:36):
modeling, not being open toreceiving feedback inside a
performance review process oroutside a performance review
process.
As a manager, as a peoplemanager, you need to be modeling
that you are open to feedback,no matter what kind of feedback
it is, and that you are going tobe considerate of whatever that
(08:59):
feedback is.
And then you're going to ask alot of questions and so forth
and so on, and we'll get intothat in a minute.
But there are many challengesthat are created in the
performance review processsimply because individuals, even
the leaders, let alone theemployees, have a challenge with
(09:23):
both giving and receiving.
Let's look at giving feedback.
Some of them is that theystruggle to really strike that
balance between being upfront,forthright and honest while at
the same time encouraging.
So, say, you have a employeewho is a high producer, a great
(09:50):
contributor to the team, but hassome kind of soft skill or
personal behavior issues thatyou certainly need addressed.
At the same time, you don'twant to discourage them away
from really utilizing theirtalents and the skills and the
expertise that they bring totheir job.
So one of the challenges that Iencounter with many of my
(10:14):
leader clients is them beingable to have that conversation,
highlight those strengths,highlight those areas where they
really bring great value to theteam and to the organization,
while at the same timeaddressing any areas that need
to be course corrected.
(10:36):
And so one of the big areasthat managers want to focus on
is how do you strike a balancebetween being upfront and honest
and transparent regarding one'sperformance, while also being
very encouraging, verymotivating, very inspiring to
them so they don't getdiscouraged?
(10:57):
The other one would also be andthis definitely will take some
internal self-assessment andself-digging, or what I call
self-escavating but that wouldbe to really ensure that you are
avoiding any type of biases orunfairness in the process.
(11:19):
What do I mean by that?
Well, if you have a biastowards someone, or if you, as a
manager, you know someone'sjust created issues for you, or
you just don't relate to someoneon your team, and that's a
struggle and you just haven'tfigured out how to engage with
this individual in a veryeffective, productive way and
(11:41):
therefore, even subconsciously,you have this bias or this angst
toward them and you go intotheir performance review
carrying that even in theprocess of you evaluating them,
you brought that with you and italtered or influenced the
(12:01):
overall performance review ofyour employee.
So you really want to be sureto self-assess any biases, any
prejudgments, any perceptionsyou have of a team member and
make sure that your evaluationis free from any of that coming
(12:21):
in and influencing how youactually assess your employee.
Of course, we're always lookingfor the feedback to be not only
constructive and motivating andencouraging, but specific and
detailed.
Too often, far too often, thefeedback provided is very vague,
is very general, doesn't reallyprovide great detail or
(12:46):
specifics or examples orillustrations of the feedback
being given good or bad.
So here are your strengths.
Here are some examples of youleveraging those strengths.
Here are areas you need to workon or areas that others have
stated you know are workingagainst you in your role.
(13:06):
Here are specific examples,illustrations, scenarios, the
last incident that occurred toensure that the individual
receiving it can then putcontext to your feedback and yet
too often I'll be looking overa performance review whether
(13:28):
that's post, the manager writingit or context for the employee
to really understand and go backto that particular situation to
(13:52):
see what worked or didn't workand therefore what needs to be
changed or not need to bechanged.
So you really want to ensure,when giving, that you are
providing details, specifics,examples, the actual scenario
that occurred when it came toyou, evaluating them on a
(14:14):
particular behavior or trait orquality or skill.
And if you don't and can'tprovide it, then you might have
to consider not giving it orseek out feedback from others to
put some context around it.
And I want you to think abouthow would you feel if someone
(14:36):
said to you you're not being ateam player without anything
beyond that, your communicationis being received in a very
negative way.
So you know you're given thisinformation, but without any
context.
How can you fully understandwhat needs to change, what's
(15:00):
working or not working?
What experience or result orimpact did you have on those
individuals?
You need to ensure that you'regetting specifics.
Now I'm going to diverge forjust a minute because one tip I
want to provide managers orthose giving feedback, the one
(15:23):
strategy I tell my clients touse is throughout the year, have
a notebook where you candocument successes and areas of
misstep for your employees,where you can notate this
situation happened, this was theresult, this was the impact,
(15:48):
and it happened on this datewith these individuals involved.
Whatever the case might be, itdoesn't have to be a long story.
It just needs to take tidbitsof information to where then you
can use that immediately totalk with the employee or, if it
will carry over three months,six months down the line, into
(16:10):
the performance reviews you havespecifics to provide.
You don't want to leave youremployees more confused and more
discouraged and more uncertainabout how to shift, how to take
action, how to transformsomething, if you don't provide
them context.
Okay Now, as far as receivingyour performance reviews, some
(16:33):
of the challenges that I comeacross with clients is, even
before they get theirperformance review, they're
extremely anxious, they'reextremely nervous, they're
extremely defensive, they'reextremely discouraged about what
it is that they're going toreceive back.
Long before they actually sitdown and or receive their review
(16:58):
, they are already preparing fora fight, and that's certainly
not what you want your team ofemployees to feel going into a
process of getting feedback.
And so if it is a culturalissue within the organization,
(17:21):
if it is a cultural issue withinyour team, if it's a lack of
communication of the value ofperformance reviews, slash
feedback, then you may consider,as a leader, you may want to
consider messaging and creatinga communication plan that is
shared with your organizationthroughout the year as to the
(17:43):
value and the gift that feedbackis, so to minimize that anxiety
, that stress, thatdefensiveness.
And again, I want you to alwaysput yourself in the other shoe,
I want you to be consideringthe fact that you know how do
you feel when it comes toperformance review time, not
(18:07):
just writing them out so you cangive them, but also as the
person who's going to bereceiving one, because, again,
everyone gets a review.
So how do you even experiencethe process of receiving
feedback and recognize that?
If you are a manager, teammembers on your team are
(18:30):
probably feeling the same wayand therefore, if there is a
need for a cultural shift as tohow performance review slash
feedback is perceived, then stepup, be the leader and share
that with those that caninfluence that change and
influence that transformation asfar as how performance reviews
(18:55):
are viewed throughout theorganization.
The last one, from a challengeperspective when receiving, is
you receive feedback that youweren't expecting, and this
could go both ways.
This could go with you receivepositive feedback in regards to
things that you just reallynever thought anybody paid
(19:16):
attention to and you weren'texpecting.
That is negative, that isso-called requiring disciplinary
action, requiring behavioralchange, requiring a shift in
(19:37):
attitude, and you say toyourself, well, why would that
happen?
Well, that happens far toooften because if someone is
adverse to confrontation, isadverse to giving critical, hard
feedback, then they most likelyavoided having those
conversations with an employeethroughout the years or
(20:02):
throughout the time periodbetween performance reviews, the
time period between performancereviews and managers.
All I can say to you is that isso unfair to your employees,
and again put yourself in theirshoes.
Would you want that to happento you from your manager?
Would you want them to avoidhaving a conversation with you
(20:27):
and then suddenly bringing it upin what is also very formal and
very documented, so to speak?
You just want to be sure thatyour employees are not surprised
by anything that's going into aperformance review Because,
good or bad, you've had plentyof time to share with them what
(20:49):
your perception is, what yourexperience is what your feedback
is.
If you want to prevent any realchallenges, any of that anxiety
or stress or discouragement byyour employees, be sure that
you're educating yourself on howto give feedback.
So I mentioned earlier thebenefits of both receiving and
(21:10):
giving feedback.
But let's kind of get into it alittle bit more so we can
really ground ourselves in thereal value of performance
reviews, the real value ofgaining feedback throughout the
year, consistently, regularly,let alone formally, in the
performance review process.
(21:30):
So for managers and leaders,when it comes to performance
reviews, it really is aboutstrengthening your team.
You want to use the performancereview process to really ensure
that your team members,individually and collectively,
have what they need, have theinformation, have the assessment
(21:52):
, have the perceptions thatothers might be sharing with you
.
You want to be sure that theyhave all that information so
then they can continue to growand develop and expand into a
very productive, very high valuecontributing individual to then
(22:14):
the team as a collective andthen, as each of the team
members are gaining thisinformation and this support
from you, then it's justcreating a much more cohesive,
much more productive, much moresuccessful team and, of course,
it really ensures that, as youdo, collaborate and engage and
(22:37):
communicate with them.
That's just helping to buildtrust, to build loyalty, to
build a desire to really connectand engage and do whatever's
necessary in order to achievethe goals that you've set out
for them individually and themas a team.
So, managers and leaders, ifyou need to work on yourself as
(23:01):
far as how do you give veryimpactful, motivating, do you
give very impactful, motivating,encouraging feedback?
Then get the training, get thesupport and don't even hesitate
to reach out.
And you know, even let me helpyou with a 30-minute discussion
to share some tips andstrategies you can be using
against what you share with meas far as the steps you do take
(23:26):
currently when it comes togiving feedback and when it
comes to giving performancereviews.
And now for the employees theemployees are gaining clarity,
they're gaining understanding,they're gaining the perceptions
others have of them and theexperience others have with them
(23:47):
, whether that's team members,you as a manager, or those
customers or support groups thatthey engage with.
They're gaining the clarity ontheir strengths, on their areas
for development, on their blindspots, on the skills that are
needed or the skills that theyshould be leveraging more and
more skills that are needed orthe skills that they should be
(24:09):
leveraging more and more.
They're gaining all of thatclarity and all of that
understanding, so it helps themto become more confident, more
secure, even with thediscussions on areas for
improvement.
That communication, thatopenness, that transparency,
that honesty that you're havingwith them is greatly appreciated
(24:30):
and then value to where theywant to go and put a plan
together where they can actuallyshift and really have a nice
trajectory in their growth andin their skill development.
And then, of course, it reallydemonstrates for them that you
have a commitment to theirgrowth and in their skill
development.
And then, of course, it reallydemonstrates for them that you
have a commitment to theirgrowth.
(24:52):
You have a commitment to andrespect them, to where you are
going, to be open and honest andforthright and transparent in
regards to their performance.
There are so many benefits thatwe could go on and on and on,
but let's get into somestrategies that you could be
using to both give and then alsoreceive feedback to where you
(25:17):
do view it as a gift and assomething that's very valuable,
constructive and critical to thebusiness growth, as well as
your career growth and your teammembers' career growth.
The first one is definitelygoing to be preparation.
Now, the situations I see in agreat many of my clients and
(25:41):
organizations that I work withis that the performance review
timeline pops up and now it's arace to get it all done, and
there's often kind of twocategories of individuals
managers who are going to begiving feedback.
There are those who are goingto plan it out, timeline it out,
(26:04):
make sure that they put thetime and the effort into doing
it and getting it done in aproductive way before the
deadline, and then there'sothers who wait to the last
minute and then find themselvesrushing to get it done and
therefore they're extremelyvague and general and they're
(26:26):
creating the type of challengesthat we've already discussed.
And so one critical takeaway Iwould love for you to understand
and to support is to ensurethat you are preparing each
individual's performance reviewin a very proactive, very
(26:46):
productive, very intentional way, because, again, they deserve
the feedback, they deserve thedetails, the specifics, the
examples, the scenarios, andthey deserve the opportunity to
discuss it and collaborate on itand to ask questions and to
even answer any questions, andthat really, for many, many of
(27:10):
my clients, really requiresplanning, planning for the time
that it's going to take toactually craft a very productive
performance review, or even ifit's going to be a sudden last
minute type of critical feedbacksession, the preparation, the
(27:31):
planning, the scheduling, thejust overall documenting of the
performance review.
It's really important to reallyhave that all laid out and
planned out so you can do iteffectively.
So, to break that down a littlebit further, we all know that
the performance review period isalways coming at the beginning
(27:54):
of the year and mid-year.
Knowing that you can right now,weeks, months ahead of time,
you can lay it out on yourcalendar, block the time that
it's going to be necessary basedon the number of employees you
have, and make sure that you'reyou know proactively scheduling,
(28:15):
slash, planning for theperformance review process.
At the same time, when it comesto being thoughtful, the time
you're going to devote to eachof your employees, you can also,
very early on, get thoseblocked out and those planned,
whether it's on your calendaritself or it's even with your
(28:39):
employee.
Now another challenge I shouldhave mentioned earlier that just
came up as I was sharing thatis time.
The worst thing you could do asa manager that will turn off
and really discourage youremployee is to rush their
performance review, not rushjust in the documenting of it.
(29:02):
But too, too often I findmanagers or it's typically the
employees come to me and sharewith me what happened with their
performance review, and whatthey'll share is well, we only
got to talk about it for 15 or20 minutes because they had to
go or because we it wasn'tplanned for a sufficient amount
(29:22):
of time.
That is inexcusable and itshould be perceived as that.
As a manager, as a leader, youneed to ensure that you're
giving the time to your employeeboth to share your input but
also to understand any feedback,that they may have, any
(29:45):
questions, that they may haveany disagreements or
clarifications that are needed.
Whatever the case might be,it's your job to ensure that
they have the time from you tohave a very thorough and very
productive and effectiveperformance review.
So get that preparation laidout, get that preparation done
(30:09):
and, while you're at it, justmake note too that you want to
be documenting, you want to becapturing actual scenarios and
examples and illustrations asthe year goes.
That then you will have thatyou can pull out and use for
someone's performance reviewwhen you do formally sit down to
(30:30):
write it up.
All right.
The next one would be, then,really focusing on how you're
going to deliver the message,whatever that message might be.
It could be a fabulous reviewand everything's going to be
glowing, but yet I can guaranteeyou, your employee is still
going to have questions for you.
They're still going to come upwith things that you may not
(30:52):
have captured and highlighted aspart of their review and
therefore, even though it lookslike it's going to be wrapped up
in a very pretty bow, you wantto be prepared and give the time
to ensure that they have whatthey need by the time that that
conversation is over and theysign that document, and that
(31:12):
they have what they need by thetime that that conversation is
over and they sign that document, and that they're left with all
the answers to the questionsthat they have and or they're
clear on any of the ambiguity orconfusion they might have had
coming into it.
Prepare as to how you're goingto give the feedback, no matter
what it is Now.
(31:32):
As to how you're going to givethe feedback, no matter what it
is Now, think about the SPIframework, which is a simple
three-step model that you canuse when it comes to giving
feedback of any kind SPI orsituation behavior impact really
just means you want to approacha conversation, good or bad,
(31:54):
easy or hard.
You want to provide theframework of here's the
situation as a result of thebehavior that was created by you
or others as a result of thissituation, and here's the impact
that it had on you and othersaround.
So you want to break down andprepare that conversation of any
(32:17):
kind with stating the situationthat you want to talk about,
the behavior that was attributedto that situation or took away
from that situation and then theimpact that that situation and
behavior created At any point.
You want to use this model it'sthat simple to really think
about what is the situation thatI want to have a conversation
(32:39):
about, what is the behavior thatwas created by the individual
or those around and what was theimpact of it.
And you can break down anoverall performance review in
categories of that performancereview using that same
three-step model each onesituation behavior impact or the
(33:02):
performance review as a whole.
And as a result of having thatmodel to kind of frame your
conversation on, you can alsostructure it to where you give
praise, to open it up, to leteveryone's guard down.
So you want to balance thepraise with the any type of area
(33:23):
for improvement that needs tobe shared, and I would kick off
with the praise.
Here are all the great thingsyou're doing, while you then get
into.
But we need to really talkabout these other behaviors that
need to change and come up witha plan together as far as how
you can shift them.
Ok, and then, of course, ingiving, you want to ensure that
(33:48):
if there are anything that needsto be changed, needs to be
shifted, needs to transform,needs to be developed, that you
don't leave that discussionwithout an action plan, because,
again, you want your employeeto walk away very clear, very
certain, feeling confident that,regardless of the feedback that
(34:10):
you gave them, there's support,there's a plan and even follow
through as far as helping themget where you need them to go.
Now.
A third strategy would be thatyou really want to ensure that
you are creating a two-waydialogue.
As I mentioned earlier,performance reviews or
(34:32):
constructive feedback is not aone-way street.
I don't care how tumultuous orhow critical the feedback is.
It still has to be a two-wayconversation.
You still have to go in free ofbiases, free of prejudgments,
and this is a learningopportunity for you as giving
(34:53):
feedback, but it's a learningopportunity for you to also
receive feedback as far as whatthe real situation is, what the
real behavior is, what the realimpact is, and therefore, you
really want to be askingopen-ended questions to them.
Do not make statements.
I say that a lot.
(35:14):
Ask questions, don't makestatements, because you want to
learn what is going on insidesomeone's head.
Why are they doing what they'redoing or why are they not
leveraging what they should beleveraging because of their
strengths?
You want to really get underthe covers of an employee in
order to best understand how tosupport them, how to motivate
(35:35):
them, how to encourage them, howto even help them to be
developed, how to course correctthem, how to shift them.
So open-ended questions thatthey then can share.
What's going on for them.
And then, of course, this isgoing to require you to create a
safe space.
And then, of course, this isgoing to require you to create a
safe space.
You need to create anenvironment where they actually
(35:58):
are willing to let their guardsdown, get rid of the
defensiveness and the anxietyand the stress, and be
completely open and transparentand collaborative with you, no
matter what the situation is.
So you need to ensure that, notonly during a performance
review process, because creatinga safe space is all about trust
(36:19):
, and so throughout the year,throughout the life cycle of
your relationship with anemployee, you need to be
building that trust and thatlevel of engagement and
collaboration with them.
So then, when there does comethe time for both of you to be
very open, very transparent,very candid, they feel safe to
(36:41):
do that, that they don'tquestion being retaliated
against or being disciplined orin some way, it coming back and
hurting them in any way, shapeor form.
And then, of course because, aswe mentioned earlier, you want
to set those clear action plansby the time the conversation is
over then make that commitmentto them that there will be
(37:04):
follow-up, there will be kind ofa pull through of conversations
to ensure that they are gettingthe support, the training, the
development, the attention thatthey need in order to make the
changes that you're asking themto make, or even to be able to
pursue and achieve the goalsthat you're giving them, and
(37:24):
they feel very confident andsupported in that.
Okay, now let's look at it as ifwe're the ones receiving
feedback and again we wanna makesure that we're not defensive
and anxious and stressed out.
Instead, it's up to us asindividuals to put our mindset
into a place that is open, thatis willing to receive, that is
(37:49):
willing to listen, to learn, toask questions, to consider
what's being told to us and theneven willingness to make the
changes necessary.
So, as you walk into aperformance review or a
situation of feedback of anykind, you want to ensure that
you're in a good space mentally,physically, emotionally,
(38:13):
spiritually to where you're opento a dialogue of a conversation
, because if not, then itimmediately becomes a one-way
street.
If you walk in all defensiveand all stressed out and angst
up, then that's just going toshut down the other person that
you're talking with, and so youwant to, no matter if you're the
(38:35):
reason for this conversation oryou're the one impacted by the
situation.
You want to ensure that you'reopen to really hearing and
considering and viewing thefeedback as something that is
going to be constructive,productive and a gift to ensure
(38:56):
that you are growing anddeveloping and advancing in
skills and in your overallleadership.
Then the other one would be toreceivers of feedback always
need to be prepared withquestions to ask, not only
(39:17):
questions to ask about theactual performance review itself
, which is a look backwards.
What I really like aboutperformance review is it gives
you the opportunity to lookforward.
Okay, this is what happenedgood, bad or ugly but yet I want
to focus on what is needed aswe go forward, and so be sure
(39:38):
that you are preparingopen-ended questions, questions
that will give you that clarityand that confidence and that
energy and that support thatyou're looking for.
Anytime you have an opportunityto sit down with your manager,
what you need to do is look atthese opportunities as
clarifying discussions.
(39:59):
So this is the situation, thisis the behavior, this is the
impact, and anything that you'reconfused about or you're not
clear on, or there'sdisagreement or there's
misunderstanding, you want toget those cleared up, and that's
the only approach that you needto be taking with it.
Okay, and then, of course, ifneed be and in a lot of cases
(40:20):
it's necessary I also recommendis, if you need to sit there and
take notes and you know kind ofidentify, you know things that
you need to do next or an actionplan that you're, you know,
wanting support on from yourmanager, make sure that you're
taking those notes and you'redocumenting that.
If they're giving you any typeof specific feedback areas for
(40:41):
improvement.
Next steps make sure thatyou're capturing those.
I would even suggest that, onceyou capture them, you actually
send it back to them after thesession and confirm with them
your understanding and what youcaptured in your notes, just so,
again, you can be signed offand very clear as to not only
(41:03):
what that discussion was about,but also what were those next
steps that were discussed.
And from those next steps, orthose key takeaways or action
(41:30):
plans, formalize it into ofgoals for yourself that will
ensure that you not only pursueit but you achieve it and you
complete it.
And what was the goals or themeasurements that they then are
(41:55):
going to use to assess yoursuccess in achieving or making
the changes that were discussed?
Performance reviews do not haveto be a struggle.
I want to leave you with achallenge.
I want you to really thinkabout your last performance
review, even just the process asa whole.
What worked, what didn't work,what would you change?
(42:18):
How can you improve it?
Not only in the process itself,but more so, how you approached
it, how you prepared for it,how you handled it, and both as
a receiver and as a giver.
And remember, put yourself intheir shoes when it does come to
being a receiver.
How is it you want feedback tobe given to you, how is it you
(42:41):
want the support to be provided?
How do you want the two of youcoming together to make it a
very effective and productiveprocess and work toward
implementing that the next timearound, and you will find that
you are making it a gift to notonly the receiver, but also to
(43:05):
yourself as the giver.
All right Performance reviewsare critical and so necessary
for all of us to really grow anddevelop in our roles and in our
persons, and so do what you canto eliminate any of the
challenges or any of thenegative perceptions of feedback
(43:28):
and turn it into a real,valuable tool that will help you
be the powerhouse leader you'remeant to be.
And if you are challenged in anyway when it comes to giving or
receiving, then be sure to reachout to me and let's have a
30-minute conversation.
Let me understand where you'reat right now and provide you
some tips and strategies you canstart implementing, not only in
(43:52):
the formal performance reviewprocess, but all year round,
when you do have to givecritical feedback.
Let me help you craft andstructure the feedback in such a
way that it is received veryopenly and very graciously.
Until next time.
Thank you for tuning in.
If you found this to bevaluable, please share it with
(44:13):
your colleagues or even youremployees, and help them to
understand how they can mastergiving and receiving feedback
for great success in their workand in their life.
I'll see you soon.
Speaker 2 (44:28):
Thank you for tuning into today's episode of Shedding
the Corporate Bitch.
Every journey taken together isanother step towards unleashing
the powerhouse leader withinyou.
Don't miss any of our weeklyepisodes.
Subscribe to our podcast onApple Podcasts, spotify or
wherever you love to listen.
And, for those who thrive onvisual content, catch us on our
Shedding the Bitch YouTubechannel.
Want to dive deeper withBernadette on becoming a
(44:49):
powerhouse leader?
Visit balloffirecoachingcom tolearn more about how she helps
professionals, hr executives andteam leaders elevate overall
team performance.
You've been listening toShedding the Corporate Bitch
with Bernadette Boas.
Until next time, keep shedding,keep growing and keep leading.
Be honest when you hear performance review, do you
feel excited or anxious?
Do you see it as a steppingstone for growth or just another
corporate formality?
What if I told you thatmastering both giving and
receiving performance reviewscould be the key to unlocking
your career potential?
(00:22):
Welcome to Shedding theCorporate Bitch.
I'm Bernadette Bowes and we arecutting through the corporate
noise and getting real about thestrategies that drive success.
Today, we're breaking downperformance reviews the good,
the bad and the game-changing.
Together, we'll discover how togive constructive, honest
feedback without demotivatingyour team, and how to receive
(00:46):
feedback without feelingdispensive or discouraged.
And, lastly, how to turn a oncea year or mid-year and end of
year process into a year-roundstrategy, because it's
imperative that we look atcritical feedback as a gift, as
a way for us to tap in to ourstrengths, our weaknesses and
(01:08):
our blind spots that could bepropelling us forward but also
holding us back.
And, at the same time, there'stremendous benefit for managers
and employees, in that it reallyincreases trust and
communication between theleaders and their employees as
well clarifies career paths andopportunities for professional
(01:29):
development.
Lastly, creates a stronger, moreengaged and high-performing
team.
So, whether you're a manager,hr leader or the employee.
You'll walk away with a simpleframework for delivering
meaningful feedback, andstrategies to transform feedback
positive or negative intoaction, and learn how to use
(01:51):
performance reviews as a tool toelevate your career, because
the first thing I want you towalk away with is to embrace the
fact that feedback is a gift.
Now be sure to follow,subscribe and like the show so
you and your colleagues can takepart each week in becoming the
powerhouse leader you're meantto be.
(02:12):
Check us out on any one of yourpodcast streaming services and
on YouTube.
Let's dive in.
Speaker 2 (02:19):
Welcome to Shedding the Corporate Bitch, the podcast
that transforms today'smanagers into tomorrow's
powerhouse leaders.
Your host, bernadette Boas,executive coach and author,
brings you into a world wherethe corporate grind meets
personal growth and success ineach and every episode.
With more than 25 years incorporate trenches, bernadette's
own journey from beingdismissed as a tyrant boss to
(02:40):
becoming a sought-afterleadership coach and speaker
illustrates the very essence oftransformation that she now
inspires in others with her tips, strategies and stories.
So if you're ready to shed thebitches of fear and insecurity,
ditch the imposter syndrome andstep into the role of the
powerhouse leader you were bornto be, this podcast is for you.
Let's do this.
Speaker 1 (03:04):
Performance reviews.
They're dreaded by many, theyare embraced by few, but they're
critical and necessary foreveryone.
So today we're going to getinto just how to master giving
and receiving feedback toelevate your skills, your people
skills, your career paths andthe leadership impact that
(03:25):
you're having on those aroundyou, no matter what level of the
organization that you're in.
And so why are performancereviews so critical?
Well, because they provide younot only a recap of what your
goals were and how you operatedagainst those goals, but, more
so, they provide you the insightthat you need in order to see
(03:49):
the experience you're creatingfor others around you, the
perception they have of you as aworker, as a person, as a
leader, as a contributor to thebusiness, to their team, to the
project at hand.
And, at the same time, itreally provides you an
opportunity to think throughwhat it is that you want to be
(04:12):
achieving in your career, whathelp you need, what support you
need, and then laying it out soboth your manager understands
exactly where you feel you arein your development and your
achievement of your goals, butalso where you want to go as far
(04:33):
as your career path, while atthe same time, it gives your
manager that opportunity to sayall right, so that's your plan
and that's your assessment ofhow you performed this past year
.
Let me shed some light on that,or let me shed some reality on
that, because many of us don'thave a really clear, honest view
(04:57):
on how are we showing up, howare we contributing to the
business, how are we addingvalue, how are we impacting to
the business, how are we addingvalue, how are we impacting
those around us?
And, at the same time,performance reviews gives you an
opportunity to really breakdown the old misconception that
(05:18):
performance reviews are just acheck off on a list or it's just
a formality in a businessenvironment.
Instead, what the performancereview process should also
really ensure that it'smessaging is that this is a
career development tool, this isa leadership growth tool.
(05:41):
This is a gift of you gettingthe feedback that's needed.
So performance reviews, orbasically just critical feedback
, really needs to be looked atas something that you welcome
and that you seek out, evenproactively, outside the formal
(06:03):
beginning of year, mid-year typeof performance review process.
Now, as a leadership andexecutive coach, before, during
and after the performance reviewprocess, my clients certainly
bring me their concerns, thechallenges that they're having
the opportunities that they'relooking for, the construction of
(06:28):
the communication that theywant to message during their
review process, whether that'sas part of the written
performance review or it's thepost where they've received
their final rating.
They've received their finalfeedback from their manager and
now they want to kind ofconstruct any type of response
(06:50):
or any type of collaborationwith their manager when they do
finally sit down and have anopportunity to go through it and
have a dialogue, have acollaboration, because that's
what performance reviews need tobe.
It's not the manager tellingemployee how they're doing or
(07:10):
how they're not doing.
It's a collaboration tounderstand what they were tasked
to do, what they've done, whatchallenges or opportunities
presented themselves throughoutthe time period, what support
and help do they need, whatcareer change or opportunities
(07:31):
in their career path are therefor them, so forth and so on.
It should be a two-waycollaboration and not just a one
directional telling or makingstatements to an employee, and
that's why it's so critical tounderstand what it really takes
(07:52):
to give feedback and then, onthe flip side, receive it,
because every one of us, nomatter what level of an
organization we're in, every oneof us receives feedback from
someone and therefore, it'sreally important that, if you're
a manager, you need to be ableto receive it and, in the same
(08:14):
vein, give it in such a way thatyour employees are also
receiving it in a constructive,motivating, supportive way,
because that's how you should bealso receiving it from your own
managers.
And what you want to be carefulof is setting an example or
(08:36):
modeling, not being open toreceiving feedback inside a
performance review process oroutside a performance review
process.
As a manager, as a peoplemanager, you need to be modeling
that you are open to feedback,no matter what kind of feedback
it is, and that you are going tobe considerate of whatever that
(08:59):
feedback is.
And then you're going to ask alot of questions and so forth
and so on, and we'll get intothat in a minute.
But there are many challengesthat are created in the
performance review processsimply because individuals, even
the leaders, let alone theemployees, have a challenge with
(09:23):
both giving and receiving.
Let's look at giving feedback.
Some of them is that theystruggle to really strike that
balance between being upfront,forthright and honest while at
the same time encouraging.
So, say, you have a employeewho is a high producer, a great
(09:50):
contributor to the team, but hassome kind of soft skill or
personal behavior issues thatyou certainly need addressed.
At the same time, you don'twant to discourage them away
from really utilizing theirtalents and the skills and the
expertise that they bring totheir job.
So one of the challenges that Iencounter with many of my
(10:14):
leader clients is them beingable to have that conversation,
highlight those strengths,highlight those areas where they
really bring great value to theteam and to the organization,
while at the same timeaddressing any areas that need
to be course corrected.
(10:36):
And so one of the big areasthat managers want to focus on
is how do you strike a balancebetween being upfront and honest
and transparent regarding one'sperformance, while also being
very encouraging, verymotivating, very inspiring to
them so they don't getdiscouraged?
(10:57):
The other one would also be andthis definitely will take some
internal self-assessment andself-digging, or what I call
self-escavating but that wouldbe to really ensure that you are
avoiding any type of biases orunfairness in the process.
(11:19):
What do I mean by that?
Well, if you have a biastowards someone, or if you, as a
manager, you know someone'sjust created issues for you, or
you just don't relate to someoneon your team, and that's a
struggle and you just haven'tfigured out how to engage with
this individual in a veryeffective, productive way and
(11:41):
therefore, even subconsciously,you have this bias or this angst
toward them and you go intotheir performance review
carrying that even in theprocess of you evaluating them,
you brought that with you and italtered or influenced the
(12:01):
overall performance review ofyour employee.
So you really want to be sureto self-assess any biases, any
prejudgments, any perceptionsyou have of a team member and
make sure that your evaluationis free from any of that coming
(12:21):
in and influencing how youactually assess your employee.
Of course, we're always lookingfor the feedback to be not only
constructive and motivating andencouraging, but specific and
detailed.
Too often, far too often, thefeedback provided is very vague,
is very general, doesn't reallyprovide great detail or
(12:46):
specifics or examples orillustrations of the feedback
being given good or bad.
So here are your strengths.
Here are some examples of youleveraging those strengths.
Here are areas you need to workon or areas that others have
stated you know are workingagainst you in your role.
(13:06):
Here are specific examples,illustrations, scenarios, the
last incident that occurred toensure that the individual
receiving it can then putcontext to your feedback and yet
too often I'll be looking overa performance review whether
(13:28):
that's post, the manager writingit or context for the employee
to really understand and go backto that particular situation to
(13:52):
see what worked or didn't workand therefore what needs to be
changed or not need to bechanged.
So you really want to ensure,when giving, that you are
providing details, specifics,examples, the actual scenario
that occurred when it came toyou, evaluating them on a
(14:14):
particular behavior or trait orquality or skill.
And if you don't and can'tprovide it, then you might have
to consider not giving it orseek out feedback from others to
put some context around it.
And I want you to think abouthow would you feel if someone
(14:36):
said to you you're not being ateam player without anything
beyond that, your communicationis being received in a very
negative way.
So you know you're given thisinformation, but without any
context.
How can you fully understandwhat needs to change, what's
(15:00):
working or not working?
What experience or result orimpact did you have on those
individuals?
You need to ensure that you'regetting specifics.
Now I'm going to diverge forjust a minute because one tip I
want to provide managers orthose giving feedback, the one
(15:23):
strategy I tell my clients touse is throughout the year, have
a notebook where you candocument successes and areas of
misstep for your employees,where you can notate this
situation happened, this was theresult, this was the impact,
(15:48):
and it happened on this datewith these individuals involved.
Whatever the case might be, itdoesn't have to be a long story.
It just needs to take tidbitsof information to where then you
can use that immediately totalk with the employee or, if it
will carry over three months,six months down the line, into
(16:10):
the performance reviews you havespecifics to provide.
You don't want to leave youremployees more confused and more
discouraged and more uncertainabout how to shift, how to take
action, how to transformsomething, if you don't provide
them context.
Okay Now, as far as receivingyour performance reviews, some
(16:33):
of the challenges that I comeacross with clients is, even
before they get theirperformance review, they're
extremely anxious, they'reextremely nervous, they're
extremely defensive, they'reextremely discouraged about what
it is that they're going toreceive back.
Long before they actually sitdown and or receive their review
(16:58):
, they are already preparing fora fight, and that's certainly
not what you want your team ofemployees to feel going into a
process of getting feedback.
And so if it is a culturalissue within the organization,
(17:21):
if it is a cultural issue withinyour team, if it's a lack of
communication of the value ofperformance reviews, slash
feedback, then you may consider,as a leader, you may want to
consider messaging and creatinga communication plan that is
shared with your organizationthroughout the year as to the
(17:43):
value and the gift that feedbackis, so to minimize that anxiety
, that stress, thatdefensiveness.
And again, I want you to alwaysput yourself in the other shoe,
I want you to be consideringthe fact that you know how do
you feel when it comes toperformance review time, not
(18:07):
just writing them out so you cangive them, but also as the
person who's going to bereceiving one, because, again,
everyone gets a review.
So how do you even experiencethe process of receiving
feedback and recognize that?
If you are a manager, teammembers on your team are
(18:30):
probably feeling the same wayand therefore, if there is a
need for a cultural shift as tohow performance review slash
feedback is perceived, then stepup, be the leader and share
that with those that caninfluence that change and
influence that transformation asfar as how performance reviews
(18:55):
are viewed throughout theorganization.
The last one, from a challengeperspective when receiving, is
you receive feedback that youweren't expecting, and this
could go both ways.
This could go with you receivepositive feedback in regards to
things that you just reallynever thought anybody paid
(19:16):
attention to and you weren'texpecting.
That is negative, that isso-called requiring disciplinary
action, requiring behavioralchange, requiring a shift in
(19:37):
attitude, and you say toyourself, well, why would that
happen?
Well, that happens far toooften because if someone is
adverse to confrontation, isadverse to giving critical, hard
feedback, then they most likelyavoided having those
conversations with an employeethroughout the years or
(20:02):
throughout the time periodbetween performance reviews, the
time period between performancereviews and managers.
All I can say to you is that isso unfair to your employees,
and again put yourself in theirshoes.
Would you want that to happento you from your manager?
Would you want them to avoidhaving a conversation with you
(20:27):
and then suddenly bringing it upin what is also very formal and
very documented, so to speak?
You just want to be sure thatyour employees are not surprised
by anything that's going into aperformance review Because,
good or bad, you've had plentyof time to share with them what
(20:49):
your perception is, what yourexperience is what your feedback
is.
If you want to prevent any realchallenges, any of that anxiety
or stress or discouragement byyour employees, be sure that
you're educating yourself on howto give feedback.
So I mentioned earlier thebenefits of both receiving and
(21:10):
giving feedback.
But let's kind of get into it alittle bit more so we can
really ground ourselves in thereal value of performance
reviews, the real value ofgaining feedback throughout the
year, consistently, regularly,let alone formally, in the
performance review process.
(21:30):
So for managers and leaders,when it comes to performance
reviews, it really is aboutstrengthening your team.
You want to use the performancereview process to really ensure
that your team members,individually and collectively,
have what they need, have theinformation, have the assessment
(21:52):
, have the perceptions thatothers might be sharing with you
.
You want to be sure that theyhave all that information so
then they can continue to growand develop and expand into a
very productive, very high valuecontributing individual to then
(22:14):
the team as a collective andthen, as each of the team
members are gaining thisinformation and this support
from you, then it's justcreating a much more cohesive,
much more productive, much moresuccessful team and, of course,
it really ensures that, as youdo, collaborate and engage and
(22:37):
communicate with them.
That's just helping to buildtrust, to build loyalty, to
build a desire to really connectand engage and do whatever's
necessary in order to achievethe goals that you've set out
for them individually and themas a team.
So, managers and leaders, ifyou need to work on yourself as
(23:01):
far as how do you give veryimpactful, motivating, do you
give very impactful, motivating,encouraging feedback?
Then get the training, get thesupport and don't even hesitate
to reach out.
And you know, even let me helpyou with a 30-minute discussion
to share some tips andstrategies you can be using
against what you share with meas far as the steps you do take
(23:26):
currently when it comes togiving feedback and when it
comes to giving performancereviews.
And now for the employees theemployees are gaining clarity,
they're gaining understanding,they're gaining the perceptions
others have of them and theexperience others have with them
(23:47):
, whether that's team members,you as a manager, or those
customers or support groups thatthey engage with.
They're gaining the clarity ontheir strengths, on their areas
for development, on their blindspots, on the skills that are
needed or the skills that theyshould be leveraging more and
more skills that are needed orthe skills that they should be
(24:09):
leveraging more and more.
They're gaining all of thatclarity and all of that
understanding, so it helps themto become more confident, more
secure, even with thediscussions on areas for
improvement.
That communication, thatopenness, that transparency,
that honesty that you're havingwith them is greatly appreciated
(24:30):
and then value to where theywant to go and put a plan
together where they can actuallyshift and really have a nice
trajectory in their growth andin their skill development.
And then, of course, it reallydemonstrates for them that you
have a commitment to theirgrowth and in their skill
development.
And then, of course, it reallydemonstrates for them that you
have a commitment to theirgrowth.
(24:52):
You have a commitment to andrespect them, to where you are
going, to be open and honest andforthright and transparent in
regards to their performance.
There are so many benefits thatwe could go on and on and on,
but let's get into somestrategies that you could be
using to both give and then alsoreceive feedback to where you
(25:17):
do view it as a gift and assomething that's very valuable,
constructive and critical to thebusiness growth, as well as
your career growth and your teammembers' career growth.
The first one is definitelygoing to be preparation.
Now, the situations I see in agreat many of my clients and
(25:41):
organizations that I work withis that the performance review
timeline pops up and now it's arace to get it all done, and
there's often kind of twocategories of individuals
managers who are going to begiving feedback.
There are those who are goingto plan it out, timeline it out,
(26:04):
make sure that they put thetime and the effort into doing
it and getting it done in aproductive way before the
deadline, and then there'sothers who wait to the last
minute and then find themselvesrushing to get it done and
therefore they're extremelyvague and general and they're
(26:26):
creating the type of challengesthat we've already discussed.
And so one critical takeaway Iwould love for you to understand
and to support is to ensurethat you are preparing each
individual's performance reviewin a very proactive, very
(26:46):
productive, very intentional way, because, again, they deserve
the feedback, they deserve thedetails, the specifics, the
examples, the scenarios, andthey deserve the opportunity to
discuss it and collaborate on itand to ask questions and to
even answer any questions, andthat really, for many, many of
(27:10):
my clients, really requiresplanning, planning for the time
that it's going to take toactually craft a very productive
performance review, or even ifit's going to be a sudden last
minute type of critical feedbacksession, the preparation, the
(27:31):
planning, the scheduling, thejust overall documenting of the
performance review.
It's really important to reallyhave that all laid out and
planned out so you can do iteffectively.
So, to break that down a littlebit further, we all know that
the performance review period isalways coming at the beginning
(27:54):
of the year and mid-year.
Knowing that you can right now,weeks, months ahead of time,
you can lay it out on yourcalendar, block the time that
it's going to be necessary basedon the number of employees you
have, and make sure that you'reyou know proactively scheduling,
(28:15):
slash, planning for theperformance review process.
At the same time, when it comesto being thoughtful, the time
you're going to devote to eachof your employees, you can also,
very early on, get thoseblocked out and those planned,
whether it's on your calendaritself or it's even with your
(28:39):
employee.
Now another challenge I shouldhave mentioned earlier that just
came up as I was sharing thatis time.
The worst thing you could do asa manager that will turn off
and really discourage youremployee is to rush their
performance review, not rushjust in the documenting of it.
(29:02):
But too, too often I findmanagers or it's typically the
employees come to me and sharewith me what happened with their
performance review, and whatthey'll share is well, we only
got to talk about it for 15 or20 minutes because they had to
go or because we it wasn'tplanned for a sufficient amount
(29:22):
of time.
That is inexcusable and itshould be perceived as that.
As a manager, as a leader, youneed to ensure that you're
giving the time to your employeeboth to share your input but
also to understand any feedback,that they may have, any
(29:45):
questions, that they may haveany disagreements or
clarifications that are needed.
Whatever the case might be,it's your job to ensure that
they have the time from you tohave a very thorough and very
productive and effectiveperformance review.
So get that preparation laidout, get that preparation done
(30:09):
and, while you're at it, justmake note too that you want to
be documenting, you want to becapturing actual scenarios and
examples and illustrations asthe year goes.
That then you will have thatyou can pull out and use for
someone's performance reviewwhen you do formally sit down to
(30:30):
write it up.
All right.
The next one would be, then,really focusing on how you're
going to deliver the message,whatever that message might be.
It could be a fabulous reviewand everything's going to be
glowing, but yet I can guaranteeyou, your employee is still
going to have questions for you.
They're still going to come upwith things that you may not
(30:52):
have captured and highlighted aspart of their review and
therefore, even though it lookslike it's going to be wrapped up
in a very pretty bow, you wantto be prepared and give the time
to ensure that they have whatthey need by the time that that
conversation is over and theysign that document, and that
(31:12):
they have what they need by thetime that that conversation is
over and they sign that document, and that they're left with all
the answers to the questionsthat they have and or they're
clear on any of the ambiguity orconfusion they might have had
coming into it.
Prepare as to how you're goingto give the feedback, no matter
what it is Now.
(31:32):
As to how you're going to givethe feedback, no matter what it
is Now, think about the SPIframework, which is a simple
three-step model that you canuse when it comes to giving
feedback of any kind SPI orsituation behavior impact really
just means you want to approacha conversation, good or bad,
(31:54):
easy or hard.
You want to provide theframework of here's the
situation as a result of thebehavior that was created by you
or others as a result of thissituation, and here's the impact
that it had on you and othersaround.
So you want to break down andprepare that conversation of any
(32:17):
kind with stating the situationthat you want to talk about,
the behavior that was attributedto that situation or took away
from that situation and then theimpact that that situation and
behavior created At any point.
You want to use this model it'sthat simple to really think
about what is the situation thatI want to have a conversation
(32:39):
about, what is the behavior thatwas created by the individual
or those around and what was theimpact of it.
And you can break down anoverall performance review in
categories of that performancereview using that same
three-step model each onesituation behavior impact or the
(33:02):
performance review as a whole.
And as a result of having thatmodel to kind of frame your
conversation on, you can alsostructure it to where you give
praise, to open it up, to leteveryone's guard down.
So you want to balance thepraise with the any type of area
(33:23):
for improvement that needs tobe shared, and I would kick off
with the praise.
Here are all the great thingsyou're doing, while you then get
into.
But we need to really talkabout these other behaviors that
need to change and come up witha plan together as far as how
you can shift them.
Ok, and then, of course, ingiving, you want to ensure that
(33:48):
if there are anything that needsto be changed, needs to be
shifted, needs to transform,needs to be developed, that you
don't leave that discussionwithout an action plan, because,
again, you want your employeeto walk away very clear, very
certain, feeling confident that,regardless of the feedback that
(34:10):
you gave them, there's support,there's a plan and even follow
through as far as helping themget where you need them to go.
Now.
A third strategy would be thatyou really want to ensure that
you are creating a two-waydialogue.
As I mentioned earlier,performance reviews or
(34:32):
constructive feedback is not aone-way street.
I don't care how tumultuous orhow critical the feedback is.
It still has to be a two-wayconversation.
You still have to go in free ofbiases, free of prejudgments,
and this is a learningopportunity for you as giving
(34:53):
feedback, but it's a learningopportunity for you to also
receive feedback as far as whatthe real situation is, what the
real behavior is, what the realimpact is, and therefore, you
really want to be askingopen-ended questions to them.
Do not make statements.
I say that a lot.
(35:14):
Ask questions, don't makestatements, because you want to
learn what is going on insidesomeone's head.
Why are they doing what they'redoing or why are they not
leveraging what they should beleveraging because of their
strengths?
You want to really get underthe covers of an employee in
order to best understand how tosupport them, how to motivate
(35:35):
them, how to encourage them, howto even help them to be
developed, how to course correctthem, how to shift them.
So open-ended questions thatthey then can share.
What's going on for them.
And then, of course, this isgoing to require you to create a
safe space.
And then, of course, this isgoing to require you to create a
safe space.
You need to create anenvironment where they actually
(35:58):
are willing to let their guardsdown, get rid of the
defensiveness and the anxietyand the stress, and be
completely open and transparentand collaborative with you, no
matter what the situation is.
So you need to ensure that, notonly during a performance
review process, because creatinga safe space is all about trust
(36:19):
, and so throughout the year,throughout the life cycle of
your relationship with anemployee, you need to be
building that trust and thatlevel of engagement and
collaboration with them.
So then, when there does comethe time for both of you to be
very open, very transparent,very candid, they feel safe to
(36:41):
do that, that they don'tquestion being retaliated
against or being disciplined orin some way, it coming back and
hurting them in any way, shapeor form.
And then, of course because, aswe mentioned earlier, you want
to set those clear action plansby the time the conversation is
over then make that commitmentto them that there will be
(37:04):
follow-up, there will be kind ofa pull through of conversations
to ensure that they are gettingthe support, the training, the
development, the attention thatthey need in order to make the
changes that you're asking themto make, or even to be able to
pursue and achieve the goalsthat you're giving them, and
(37:24):
they feel very confident andsupported in that.
Okay, now let's look at it as ifwe're the ones receiving
feedback and again we wanna makesure that we're not defensive
and anxious and stressed out.
Instead, it's up to us asindividuals to put our mindset
into a place that is open, thatis willing to receive, that is
(37:49):
willing to listen, to learn, toask questions, to consider
what's being told to us and theneven willingness to make the
changes necessary.
So, as you walk into aperformance review or a
situation of feedback of anykind, you want to ensure that
you're in a good space mentally,physically, emotionally,
(38:13):
spiritually to where you're opento a dialogue of a conversation
, because if not, then itimmediately becomes a one-way
street.
If you walk in all defensiveand all stressed out and angst
up, then that's just going toshut down the other person that
you're talking with, and so youwant to, no matter if you're the
(38:35):
reason for this conversation oryou're the one impacted by the
situation.
You want to ensure that you'reopen to really hearing and
considering and viewing thefeedback as something that is
going to be constructive,productive and a gift to ensure
(38:56):
that you are growing anddeveloping and advancing in
skills and in your overallleadership.
Then the other one would be toreceivers of feedback always
need to be prepared withquestions to ask, not only
(39:17):
questions to ask about theactual performance review itself
, which is a look backwards.
What I really like aboutperformance review is it gives
you the opportunity to lookforward.
Okay, this is what happenedgood, bad or ugly but yet I want
to focus on what is needed aswe go forward, and so be sure
(39:38):
that you are preparingopen-ended questions, questions
that will give you that clarityand that confidence and that
energy and that support thatyou're looking for.
Anytime you have an opportunityto sit down with your manager,
what you need to do is look atthese opportunities as
clarifying discussions.
(39:59):
So this is the situation, thisis the behavior, this is the
impact, and anything that you'reconfused about or you're not
clear on, or there'sdisagreement or there's
misunderstanding, you want toget those cleared up, and that's
the only approach that you needto be taking with it.
Okay, and then, of course, ifneed be and in a lot of cases
(40:20):
it's necessary I also recommendis, if you need to sit there and
take notes and you know kind ofidentify, you know things that
you need to do next or an actionplan that you're, you know,
wanting support on from yourmanager, make sure that you're
taking those notes and you'redocumenting that.
If they're giving you any typeof specific feedback areas for
(40:41):
improvement.
Next steps make sure thatyou're capturing those.
I would even suggest that, onceyou capture them, you actually
send it back to them after thesession and confirm with them
your understanding and what youcaptured in your notes, just so,
again, you can be signed offand very clear as to not only
(41:03):
what that discussion was about,but also what were those next
steps that were discussed.
And from those next steps, orthose key takeaways or action
(41:30):
plans, formalize it into ofgoals for yourself that will
ensure that you not only pursueit but you achieve it and you
complete it.
And what was the goals or themeasurements that they then are
(41:55):
going to use to assess yoursuccess in achieving or making
the changes that were discussed?
Performance reviews do not haveto be a struggle.
I want to leave you with achallenge.
I want you to really thinkabout your last performance
review, even just the process asa whole.
What worked, what didn't work,what would you change?
(42:18):
How can you improve it?
Not only in the process itself,but more so, how you approached
it, how you prepared for it,how you handled it, and both as
a receiver and as a giver.
And remember, put yourself intheir shoes when it does come to
being a receiver.
How is it you want feedback tobe given to you, how is it you
(42:41):
want the support to be provided?
How do you want the two of youcoming together to make it a
very effective and productiveprocess and work toward
implementing that the next timearound, and you will find that
you are making it a gift to notonly the receiver, but also to
(43:05):
yourself as the giver.
All right Performance reviewsare critical and so necessary
for all of us to really grow anddevelop in our roles and in our
persons, and so do what you canto eliminate any of the
challenges or any of thenegative perceptions of feedback
(43:28):
and turn it into a real,valuable tool that will help you
be the powerhouse leader you'remeant to be.
And if you are challenged in anyway when it comes to giving or
receiving, then be sure to reachout to me and let's have a
30-minute conversation.
Let me understand where you'reat right now and provide you
some tips and strategies you canstart implementing, not only in
(43:52):
the formal performance reviewprocess, but all year round,
when you do have to givecritical feedback.
Let me help you craft andstructure the feedback in such a
way that it is received veryopenly and very graciously.
Until next time.
Thank you for tuning in.
If you found this to bevaluable, please share it with
(44:13):
your colleagues or even youremployees, and help them to
understand how they can mastergiving and receiving feedback
for great success in their workand in their life.
I'll see you soon.
Speaker 2 (44:28):
Thank you for tuning into today's episode of Shedding
the Corporate Bitch.
Every journey taken together isanother step towards unleashing
the powerhouse leader withinyou.
Don't miss any of our weeklyepisodes.
Subscribe to our podcast onApple Podcasts, spotify or
wherever you love to listen.
And, for those who thrive onvisual content, catch us on our
Shedding the Bitch YouTubechannel.
Want to dive deeper withBernadette on becoming a
(44:49):
powerhouse leader?
Visit balloffirecoachingcom tolearn more about how she helps
professionals, hr executives andteam leaders elevate overall
team performance.
You've been listening toShedding the Corporate Bitch
with Bernadette Boas.
Until next time, keep shedding,keep growing and keep leading.
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