I recently finished working with several clients on their performance reviews as well as those of their employees. Every time I do this work I am reminded why several well-known firms have decided to do away with the annual review. This process at best is pointless and at its worst can damage office morale.
What is it about the performance review process that causes so many of us to cringe? Why do most of my clients concur when I joke that only psychopaths appear to enjoy drafting these evaluations? What can we do as the employee or supervisor to make them a smidge less onerous?
Since I lack a magic want to get rid of the performance review process, allow me to offer some suggestions based on years of working with clients.
For the Employee
As I always tell my clients, take some time to think before you start typing away at your computer. Some questions to help you assess your performance include:
- What were your biggest achievements?
- What praise did you receive from your customers or colleagues? You should have been sharing this feedback with your boss.
- How did your work enable the company to make or save money?
Since nobody walks on water—think about areas where you struggled or want to push yourself.
- What part of your job caused you to struggle? How can you address it next year?
- What skills do you need to hone or develop next year? You need to show how your professional development will benefit your company and detail how you will attain these skills.
For the Supervisor
You also need to take some time to think about the employee’s performance before you start filling out forms. Simple questions to ask yourself:
- What did the person do this year?
- How did the employee do that job?
- How did the person’s work affect the company?
- What does the employee need to more of and/or less of to perform better next year?
- What skills does the employee need to develop or hone to advance in his or her field?
Practical Writing Tips
I remind clients that performance reviews should not be a journey of discovery. The reader needs a clear and concise assessment. Here are some suggestions to help streamline your writing:
- Start with a summary paragraph that provides an overarching assessment. The reader should be able to ascertain from this short paragraph—no more than five sentences—how the employee performed and what the person needs to focus on in the coming year. If you work in a large organization where people tend to move around, please include some basic background information, such as the person’s job title. Some reader will not go beyond this summary paragraph so put some effort into it.
- After the summary paragraph, follow the inverted pyramid model from Journalism 101. Each paragraph should start with a topic sentence. Then provide specific examples of the person’s performance. Do not bury key achievements at the bottom of a paragraph. I had one client mention in the third paragraph of her assessment that she saved her large organization more than $5 million dollars. Achievements like that should be showcased in the beginning. Why? Because not every reader will treat this assessment as if it were the great American novel, pouring over each word. The bigger the company, the more likely your reader(s) will only have time to skim the assessment.
- Avoided coded language or beating around the bush. If you judge that the employee is deficient in a certain area—and have already raised it with the person—then document this weak spot in the review and to craft a plan to address it. Of course, the performance review is not the first time for a manager to raise a deficiency issue. Beating around the bush also undermines trust, something most reputable management or leadership book advise is key to successful businesses.
- Provide vivid examples to support your assessment. This is especially important if everybody in your office claims to be a superstar. As I once told a mid-level manager in a large firm—if your workplace is like Lake Wobegon and all the children are above average—prove to the reader that either you or your employee is truly amazing. Concrete examples will help your assessment go beyond cliché management terms. I recommend following the rule of three—share three examples. Less than three risks creating the image of being a one-trick-pony and more than three comes across as laundry list.
- Write in active voice—subject + verb + object. You will note that in the previous sentence I stated subject + verb. Please use one verb per sentence. I often see people—particularly in the STEM fields—using multiple verbs. “I designed, tested, and implemented a new program…” Decide what is the most important action and stick with it. This approach keeps your sentences clearer and crisper. This writing style hones in on your core achievements.
- Try to keep your sentence length to less than 35 words. Paragraph-long sentences risk losing the reader’s attention. Minimizing your use of adjectives and adverbs will help you stay within this word limit. Avoiding redundant phrases like “successfully completed” is also key.
- Proofread your draft. Your computer’s spell check and grammar review options are helpful, but not enough. I tell my clients to print out their draft and read it out loud. You will discover your clunky phrases and missing words. Of course, sharing your drafts with a trusted colleague, mentor, or writing coach is always a great option.
Interested in learning more? Please email me at nextchaptercoachllc@gmail.com I am happy to do a tailored class for your company or work one-on-one with clients wanting to improve their writing. Thanks!