Are you effective in providing performance feedback to your team?
Traditional (often annual) performance reviews are equally dreaded by employees and managers alike. On top of that, they are mostly useless – and often are reduced to “how big of a raise this year?” Nothing constructive about this expectation of giving and receiving feedback without action following. As Yoda would say: “Better way, there is.”
One of the many functions of the Metronome Software (Metronome Growth System, or MGS) is the support for structured, Quarterly reviews. A well-done Review reflects not just on performance, but also on the functional role definition (Function Scorecard). The goal is to ensure we have the right person in the right seat, and to support their on-going growth. Obviously, these reviews are a key aspect of the Human system that has a strong overlap into Execution and Culture systems of the organization.
The scorecard used for the review describes the accountabilities and competencies of the role, as well as success measures and company values. When rating these items during the review, there are two options of how to rate: numerical or color. Some coaches love the numeric system (and it is also very helpful when someone is color blind; but that’s a true story for another day). I find the numeric system unclear. At what point do we need to talk about something with our colleague? Is, say, 8 “good enough” but 7 is “we may have a problem”?
Color coding has its own challenges (the options are “super green”, “green”, “yellow” and “red”). I noticed after a while there was too much green in the reviews across multiple clients – even though there was definitely something to discuss. I figured the orange, or yellow, seemed too harsh to some – “well, there’s nothing wrong per se, but….” Perhaps people were being too nice.
The breakthrough for myself came when reading Kim Scott’s Radical Candor. Amongst many good thoughts, there was the rating scale you can see on the card:
- Not good
- Good for now
- Good
- Great
The lightbulb went on. Specifically the “good for now” – that’s the best, most powerful tagline for the yellow light. As in, things are good – and we need to talk about it to make sure it stays good even as we grow or as the needs evolve. So, when I explain the ratings now, it goes as:
- Super green: Great! Exceptional! Beyond expectations! (explanation required)
- Green: Good, no need to talk
- Yellow: Good for now. And we need to talk about it.
- Red: Not good. We have to talk / make a change.
Whichever tool you use, ensure each feedback item itself along with the review as a whole is an invitation for conversation, rather than a necessary evil we have to go through. Perceive the process as a right of the team member, and give it due attention. Structure and frameworks help!
How are you providing feedback to your team and what opportunities do you create for them to tell you what you need to hear?
