From the course: Signs You’re Doing Performance Management Wrong — And How to Fix It

Examine performance management biases

From the course: Signs You’re Doing Performance Management Wrong — And How to Fix It

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Examine performance management biases

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Research shows bias is rampant in employee performance management, especially across dimensions of gender, race, and age. This impacts performance ratings, quality of feedback, and the promotional opportunities that employees receive. Since bias commonly shows up when evaluating employees, it's essential to check your biases as you hone your performance management skills. Here are some common questions to ask to help you treat every employee fairly and equitably. Am I holding everyone to the same performance standards? And how do I know? Who receives coaching, training, and feedback from me, and how much? What other investments are being made in my team members? Does everyone have mentorship, coaching, and/or training opportunities? Have I done everything I could to set up team members for success, knowing that they each need different things? And when I'm unsure about someone's performance, who is a trusted, bias-aware, and uninvolved person I can ask for help from? Bias is a normal part of being human. We all have it. You can't fully eliminate it, but you can drastically change its impact on your decision making. As you address performance problems and sustain high performance, continuously check for how bias might be showing up in yourself or your processes. By doing this, you are taking responsibility for your part, while also holding everyone to high standards. This is critical to being an equitable and fair leader. I challenge you to add a reminder to your calendar to review these questions before assessing any team member’s performance, whether formal or informal. Make it a habit to start with these questions and see how your leadership awareness skyrockets.

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