Your team members are your most valuable asset in your organization. Without them, the organization is unlikely to be very successful at achieving the mission. Team members want to do a good job and contribute to the overall success of the team and organization. As the leader, it is your responsibility to invest in your team members to help them grow and succeed. Sometimes this investment is in physical resources to do their job. At other times it is words of encouragement or accountability. And, still, sometimes it is in the work of the performance review.
The performance review should be a two-way street. The review is both the opportunity for accountability for the team member AND for the team leader. A performance review is the time to reset work relationships that have been challenged and continue to foster all work relationships toward health. Leaders and team members, together, have the opportunity to communicate expectations, concerns and partner for success.
Leaders must make the investment of time and energy to conduct team member performance reviews. Performance reviews are an opportunity both to celebrate the individual team member and help direct the team member to greater effectiveness in his or her work. The team member has the opportunity to share his or her perspective on how they view their work, how they view the work culture and what their goals and aspirations are for the next year on the team. It is invaluable for team members to be able to share and for team leaders to listen.
I suggest a simple format for the performance review. Being specific and concise allows the review to be more productive. The questions should be more open-ended and allow for team member and team leader, both, to elaborate on ideas being shared. The following link is the current performance review we use with our team.
One last area of encouragement for team leaders. Take time prepare for each team member performance review. Give careful consideration to your responses on the review form. Think through how you want to address concerns with the team member. Create a list of potential questions to ask in the review meeting to expand on what has been shared on the review form and to gauge other opportunities to help your team member develop. Make the review conversational. Conduct the reviews in spaces other than the team leader’s office. Here are examples of questions you can plan to ask:
- What is going well for you (in life, work)?
- What is currently challenging you (in life, work)?
- What do you enjoy the most about your role?
- What do you find most challenging about your role?
- What is one thing you would change about your role?
- What do you need in order to do your job to the best of your ability (ie, resources, training, etc)?
- What opportunities would you like to have in the next year in your role?
The performance review is a critical component of a team’s success. Make the process and the review a valuable and enjoyable experience for team members and yourself. You’ll be glad you did!
