by Christopher D. Lee, Ph.D., SPHR
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Question: I just had my performance review with my supervisor, and it didn’t go how I expected. I feel like I’m on a different page than he is. I thought I was doing well and using my strengths in my position. How do I reconcile this with what my supervisor wants and expects when it is very different?
Answer from Christopher D. Lee, Ph.D., SPHR: Unfortunately, having a performance review that did not go as planned is about as common as leaves on trees. Most reviews are doomed from the start because the premises upon which they are built are often flawed. The leaders that administer them are not always trained, fair, observant, or judicious, and the processes themselves are often poorly designed. In these cases, there is very little chance for things to go well. Given these realities, and with some good intent, there is still a way to salvage these situations and make them worthwhile, if not helpful.
Most reviews are largely one-way conversations wherein the leader provides feedback and rates the staff member. This is a problem since these episodes are usually singular and at the end of the ‘game’ (review) period. It would have been far better if your supervisor had come to you at the end of the first quarter, half-time, or at the end of the third quarter to say that things were not on track. This would have allowed you the opportunity to correct course — with their guidance and support.
Similarly, if the review process had the right design and intent, it would have allowed for robust conversation about the work in the first place. Conversation is a requirement and is the only way for you and your supervisor to be sure that his definition of what ‘good’ looks like is consistent with yours. Just as teaching and learning are different (“telling” isn’t teaching), supervision is not one way. For communication to be complete, there must be successive rounds of dialogue for the sender and receiver to agree upon what is said, heard, meant, and understood. At work, this involves calibrating the dyad’s understanding of performance standards and expectations.
The best way that I know to accomplish the above at work is to have a series of brief, structured conversations about the things that matter most. Not so coincidentally, this is the definition of the Performance Conversations® method, which I discuss in my 2020 book “Performance Conversations: How to Use Questions to Coach Employees, Improve Productivity, and Boost Confidence (Without Appraisals).” It is a pioneering way of approaching such matters. It is not an evaluation, review, or an appraisal, but a performance improvement system.
To ensure that you are never surprised again, that you always produce the best outcomes, and that your growth is supported, consider this method. First, schedule a series of conversations with your leader — every 4 to 16 weeks depending upon the work you do and the rhythm of that work. Think of these brief 20- to 30-minute meetings as ‘check-in’ conversations, ‘calibration’ events, pep talks, refueling stations, one-on-ones, or just feedback sessions. They are opportunities to talk about the core parts of your work, the leader’s expectations, your needs (for support, growth, challenge, assistance, etc.), and/or the most important things going on.
Whether or not your organization has a formal performance review process, having monthly, bi-monthly, or quarterly two-way conversations with your leader is just a good way to co-manage your work. When you meet, you discuss what is going well, what is not going well, and other related workplace matters. In doing so, this will ensure the two of you share a common point of reference, that your standards and expectations are aligned, and that your joint efforts are focused and channeled in the right direction. Leaders and staff co-perform, and you cannot perform well if you don’t get the right guidance, support, and encouragement.
Take charge of your success by asking for — if not insisting upon — opportunities to get feedback and support before the game ends. It makes little sense to wait. Furthermore, traditional reviews or appraisals often come with judgement, ratings, and criticisms. Performance Conversations are future-oriented, collaborative, troubleshooting, and action-oriented occasions that ask, “What can we do now to produce the best possible outcomes?” These are not occasions to receive a report card, but occasions to diagnose challenges, reinforce successes, and otherwise check-in with one another to see how things are going and how one is feeling about the work and workplace. Open dialogue, a partnership perspective, and good intent are part of the answer that drives mutual success. Don’t be surprised to find out what your leader thinks. Ask the question(s) multiple times along the journey of working together.
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