Conducting a Mid Year Performance Review: Basic Guide for Managers and Leaders November 25, 2011
Posted by janey in : career success , comments closedWhy Conduct a Mid Year Performance Review
• Most companies set their objectives at the beginning of the year, but a lot can change in 6 months time. You need to keep objectives aligned with business changes.
• The Mid Year Performance Review acts as a formal “check in” with the employee. If you are only formally reviewing performance at the end of the year, you run the risk of surprising the employee with a poor review. A Mid Year Performance Review gives the employee the chance to take corrective action before the formal end of year review.
• It can solidify the actions you need the employee to take for the remainder of the year. It’s an excellent chance to clarify and review specific goals and actions to be achieved by the end of the year.
Steps to Conducting a Mid Year Performance Review
1. Employee does a self-assessment. Employees should have as much responsibility in the performance review process as the manager does. The best way to ensure this accountability is shared is to insist that the employee conducts his own self-assessment using the same criteria and format as the manager will to assess performance. The differences between ratings provides a fertile ground for discussion.
2. Manager collects performance data and feedback. The supervisor should use data whenever possible, and at the very least list specific behavioral examples. To use vague or non-specific statements when assessing performance is neither professional, nor useful.
3.Review assessment and write review. Review the employee’s self-assessment, and write your own review as to the employee’s performance. Include all the data and examples you gathered in step two, above.
4. Conduct the Mid-Year Performance Review Discussion. After both employee and supervisor have done their preparation, they need to meet to formally discuss performance.
The Mid Year Performance Review Discussion
• This is the most important part of the Mid Year Performance Review.
• Do a quick retention interview at the same time as the performance discussion. For example, you could simply ask how the employee perceives his work environment, and how challenged and satisfied they feel working there. Too often, companies wait until the Exit Interview to gather this feedback.
• The employee should be given the chance to describe their deliverables with respect to each objective and other projects. They should be able to specify what they’ve done during the first half of the year, and how that contributes to their stated goals and objectives.
• At the Mid Year Performance Review meeting, discuss feedback grounded in multiple perspectives from the organization. In other words, how are the efforts of this employee important to the larger organization.
• Ensure that key priorities are clear, and alignment is obtained on balance of year objectives. This is an chance for both the employee and the manager to discuss changes or “course corrections” to ensure the employee is successful for his end of year review.
Three Things to Remember about Mid Year Performance Reviews
• This is a listening exercise for the manager. Listen carefully to both the content and context of the message being delivered.
• Be candid and balanced in your feedback. Both parties will get a lot more from the discussion if they are honest and forthright with each other. Being too polite will not drive performance. Nor will humiliating and berating the employee.
• Clarify how you will support the employee. It’s important for the manager to commit to what he will do to enable the success of the employee.
Improve your leadership skills! Visit www.wilymanager.com for more information about conducting a Mid Year Performance Review and more Just-in-Time Management Advice.
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How to Set Goals and Objectives: Guide for Managers November 15, 2011
Posted by janey in : career success , comments closedGoals Versus Objectives:
There are several different definitions of “Goals” and “Objectives”. Here is how we delineate the two:
• Goals are higher level than objectives
• Goals have longer time frames than objectives
• Objectives are more specific than goals
• Several objectives may contribute toward a single goal.
Why Bother to Set Goals and Objectives
• To Set Goals and Objectives narrows the gap between Strategy and Execution. Goals and objectives are needed to translate high-level strategies into more manageable behaviours that must occur on a daily basis.
• Without well-written goals and objectives, judging performance becomes unnecessarily more difficult. Goals and objectives translate into tangible actions that are observable and often measureable.
• Setting Goals and Objectives drives focus and alignment through the organization. When Goals and Objectives are clear, and cascade through an organization, alignment is assured.
• By setting Goals and Objectives, you help define and drive performance.
• Goals and Objectives clarify the employee’s priorities and guides them to allocate their time and resources effectively.
Cascading Goals and Objectives
When you set Goals and Objectives, you have to ensure alignment between different levels of the organization. Beginning with the most basic functions of an organization, the Goals and Objectives must contribute or “roll up” to the Goals and Objectives of the next level up in the organization. In cases where there are many layers, this alignment must be carried on until the very highest level of the organization.
3 Steps to Set Goals and Objectives:
1. Align the organization’s and team goals. Regardless of where you exist in an organization’s hierarchy, you have to look above you, and make sure that you understand those higher-level goals, and make sure your goals will contribute to those.
2. Draft your goals and objectives. After you’ve looked up the hierarchy, meet with your team and draft your team objectives, and personal goals and objectives accordingly.
3. Meet to discuss and finalize. You must meet with your boss to discuss and finalize your Goals and Objectives. You then need to meet with your team to ensure that all Goals and Objectives are fully aligned.
Drafting Clear Goals and Objectives
The SMART acronym is instructional when setting Goals and Objectives:
Specific: Well written Goals and Objectives specify a clear end result. The objective names the end result, output or intent, so there is no room for misinterpretation. When setting Goals and Objectives, use concise verbs, such as: “to establish,” “to increase,” “to reduce”
Measurable: Your Goals and Objectives must be quantifiable in some way. Some general categories and examples associated with measuring objectives include:
o Quantity: number of units produced, items processed, calls taken, contacts made, etc.
o Quality: number of specs met, percentage error rates, percent waste rates, number of complaints received, accuracy of reports, etc.
o Cost: dollars spent, percentage within budget, dollars spent on overtime, etc.
o Time in Use: percentage of target dates met, number of deadlines met, number of units shipped on time, etc.
Attainable: there has to be a reasonable chance that the objective is achievable; some people suggest an eighty percent probability is effective as a motivator. If you set Goals and Objectives that are too much of a stretch, people will not take them seriously.
Relevant: Goals and Objectives must be related directly to the individual’s sphere of influence and key job accountabilities.
Timebound: gives a time frame, target dates, and/or milestones during the year that are expected to be met.
If you have a hard time with writing performance objectives, here is a formula to help you:
• I will ( action )
• so that ( outcome ).
• by ( date )
For example:
I will work with my team to develop performance objectives so that 100% of my direct reports will have documented objectives by April 31.
Improve your leadership skills! Visit www.wilymanager.com for more information about How To Set Goals And Objectives and more Just-in-Time Management Advice.
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