Well, yesterday I experienced the culmination of another year of hard work. The annual performance review....
Since I was on the other side of the desk for ~5 years, I definitely appreciate the challenges of both the Supervisor and the Employee in this yearly ritual. Assuming that both are really trying to improve and motivate via the process that starts with a performance plan at the start of the year, proceeds with quarterly updates and culminates in a year end review. I am one of those believers.
My rationale is that unknown, misunderstood or miscommunicated expectations are often the root cause of Supervisor and Employee conflict and dissatisfaction. The reality is that humans can not read each others minds, so enforcing the dialogue and documentation can help a great deal. If people actually know what they want accomplished...
Overall, it went well and both of us did work hard to make it a good learning experience. I got a couple of things to think about, and he learned some additional details regarding the feedback he had received and the projects I led.
Still, I think I would prefer getting getting a cavity filled... Let the excitement start again for next year !!!!
Anyone have an interesting performance review story or thoughts regarding the process?
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4 comments:
I won't tell the interesting story. I will say two things about the process. First, our performance reviews were always best when everyone involved insisted that the process worked from the top down. That is, we saw what our boss' goals were, and then we were able to form ours. Second, this process worked best when we were allowed to freely select that contribution to those goals, rather than having our individual goals dictated. Some years we were told, for example, "you have a cost reduction goal of $150,000." Some of us made goal easily, some did so only by suggesting lots of stupid stuff (you got credit for the idea regardless), and some missed the goal because they lacked the opportunity.
You're right, dental work often looks good by comparison, but I really don't mind the process except for one thing: HR. The typical HR person can't understand why neither I nor my boss share or understand their joy and belief in it.
My situation is a bit strange, I report to a Manager who is responsible for one function of the company... Unfortunately I almost never lead projects that support that function or his goals directly. This is the joy of being a "gun for hire" team leader in a matrix organization. Lots of Sponsors, Process Owners, Stakeholders, Team members, etc to keep satisfied.
Not sure how to really win the active support of your Supervisor when you don't directly make their life easier. It was much easier when I worked directly towards my Spvr's goals. They want cost reduction, quality, development, etc, that is what I deliver.
Any thoughts on how to get a Manager to be a strong advocate and ally, when you do not work toward their goals? Right now I feel the best I can do is to try not embarassing them.(ie little upside) Thoughts...
My previous employer had a goofy system like this, where staff did all their work for project leaders who otherwise had no supervisory role. Then staff including the project leaders got reviewed by managers, and the lines often crossed. It was supposed to be Management By Objective (MBO), but in jobs without direct financial results, it can't go much beyond keep the Project Leaders happy.
Best ever MBO objective I every saw (of an old veteran who no doubt had a KMA card) was: "I will not be called a SOB by the Controller more than twice a year." Specific, measurable, time certain, attainable goal, isn't that what MBO objectives are supposed to be?
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