Performance Review and Feedback
It’s a new year again! Before planning a fresh start, it would be very beneficial to give feedback to the team and evaluate last year’s performance. You have to make a yearly report for the upper management of your team, projects, and other efforts. Evaluate your KPIs and show off your service to the company.
End of the year… I don’t think that matters a lot personally. It’s just a change on the calendar, but for the financial year closing of the company and your staff, it’s what every company and manager focuses on.
The Feedback
Start with their opinion: Managers must listen more than they talk. That’s the rule of thumb, and I strongly believe good managers are the ones who listen most at every level. Direct them to leading questions such as: How was your year? How do you evaluate your performance? What do you think were the department's strongest points? Try to be positive and make them focus on the strongest points. Weaknesses and problems will be shared in the flow, so note them and try to develop these points in the coming year.
Always start with “Yes” questions. They should know they will get feedback, but it is important for them to feel like they are ready for that. They probably have many concerns and problems in their minds. You can start with “It was a good year for our team, what do you think?” or similar questions that focus on positive aspects, and you believe you will get a “Yes” answer. These will force both sides to focus on positive thoughts and feelings.
Go into detail: “Your detailed analysis helped the company to…” Your biggest reward will be your opinions about what they did for the whole year, and they want to be appreciated. Financially, they expect a salary rise, yes, but without acknowledgment of their efforts, it will be shallow. Notice some examples of what they did well so they will know that they should keep doing well.
Directing organizational questions would also help both sides focus on big targets instead of small events. “What can I do to support you so that you don't become depleted or drained?” similar questions will serve the company goals and efficiency-focused questions.
Empathy: If you are a manager, you probably sit on the opposite side of the table. When you are receiving feedback, you should prioritize yourself. So, the “Do you have a career goal or a dream for your career?” type of question will lead the receiving party to focus on it and also help you to understand your staff further. It would be nice to see the ambitions and motivations of your colleague, also you can always refer to that aim for further tasks, if they are well aligned with company goals.
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Don’t go too big: Compliments are useful, but round them up a bit. No company operates on one-person performance, so don’t make your staff feel like it. Department contribution is essential, but don’t personalize it too much.
I had a colleague who was focused only on salary. He was publicly saying, “Ne kadar ekmek, o kadar köfte.” in Turkish, which means I’ll work as much as you pay me. That’s very damaging to company culture. You should lead them to show that the company rewards high performers but not in advance; it is a journey, and this journey is as a team. Reward follows performance, everybody knows that, never the opposite.
Try not to be personal: Even if every feedback is individual, you should not commenting personal attitudes. Never use phrases like “It’s hard to work with you” when giving negative feedback or “You’re a top-notch player” as positive feedback. Always try to show positives and developing points when working with them. You can use phrases like “I believe the company could benefit further from your project management skills” or “Following up on your tasks with deadlines and outputs will benefit the company.” Find rooms for improvement and show the big picture at every chance.
I had a manager who likened our performance to cars. It’s not easy to hear that you are a car with lousy handling! It was honest feedback but not very helpful. Also, making direct comparisons of your colleagues is not very fruitful. I believe every person should have individual reviews and feedback, not a league standing of staff. That will also lead them not to compare themselves with other staff. This can quickly turn into an “X is earning Y, and I am earning Z” situation. My experience also teaches me not to give examples of my career and position. Giving examples from your career might help them to understand that you’ve been there and done that, but it is not very beneficial. Instead, this could lead to a misunderstanding of expectations and career paths.
Expectations
At the beginning of the article, I mentioned yearly achievements and sharing them with upper management. I always share this report with my staff and show them their performances/efforts to themselves, too. I am not just showing; I’m creating this report with them! It is good for motivation and keeping track of their yearly outputs, and I suggest doing so.
Define paths for growth: Following company KPIs and your experience with staff for the whole year, clearly create a picture of the best scenario. Share this objectively with staff and ask for feedback. If they need any additional training or help with development, be transparent. Discuss yearly training with upper management and add your staff’s expectations to the list.
Also, use this opportunity as a mirror for your management. You can get feedback about how much you supported their development or guided their expected outcome.
Make a summary of good points and expectations. This is a must-done step. Most of the things you discussed will be forgotten, and only small parts will be remembered. You could change this with a summary closing bulletin. You could even share this in written format (like a prescription), so everybody will be on the same page. Also, this will help you follow up on actions and performance reviews.
Voila! You gave feedback and have already started creating next year’s plans and KPIs. Your staff is happy; they have a clear goal for next year, so they can also plan for their future.
