Managers often struggle with how best to handle annual reviews for several reasons. First, it takes a lot of time to prepare annual reviews, and there never seems to be enough time in the day. Second, annual reviews are filled with anxiety for everyone involved, and who needs more of that? Third, the annual review process is often unclear, and so managers aren’t sure who is supposed to do what, when and how.
Because of the problems associated with annual reviews, they are often delayed or even completely missed. Despite good intentions, sometimes they just don’t get done. If they do get done, they are prepared the night before with a heavy focus on whatever happened in the last few weeks. Rarely does an annual review effectively encompass the entire year’s performance.
Thankfully, there is a better approach. Toss the annual review in the trash and replace it with ongoing conversations and quarterly feedback reviews. Annual reviews just need to go away. They were a terrible idea from the start. My generation accepted them because there was no other option. It was an unfortunate part of the deal. The next generation will not.
In my previous post, I outlined how coaching has becoming a key aspect of organizational life. A good coach is highly engaged. There is an ongoing conversation, continual feedback, regular guidance and direction. This allows for minor corrections in real time and opportunities to acknowledge what is going well. There is simply no need for an annual review.
I do believe there is value in a structured process and documentation, especially for managers who aren’t great coaches (yet). This is where the quarterly feedback review comes into play. This is an informal conversation between a supervisor and a subordinate, focused on support and development. Here is a good outline:
Section 1 – Positive Feedback
Where are you excelling/exceeding/doing well?
Section 2 – Constructive Feedback
Where are you struggling/facing challenges/needing improvement?
Section 3 – Priorities
What are your most important priority areas in the next 90 days?
Section 4 – Goals
What specific goals need to be achieved (must be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-based (SMART) goals)?
Section 5 – Resources
What resources/support/assistance do you need to achieve your goals?
I know what you’re thinking: “If I didn’t have time for annual reviews, how would I ever have time for a quarterly review?” It’s a fair question. The answer is that the quarterly review takes very little preparation on the manager’s part. Your subordinate should complete his or her answers before the feedback session. This is their opportunity to discuss their performance and clarify their goals with their manager.
The best managers are coaches who provide feedback on a daily basis, as needed. For these managers, the quarterly feedback review is simply a summary of the conversations that have already occurred, along with an agreement about priorities for the upcoming 90 days.
If you’ve ever struggled with annual reviews, this blog post is a game-changer. Toss them in the trash. You have my permission.
Now go forth.
