For Effective Team Performance Review Meetings, Do These 3 Things
Your team will love you for it!
It’s performance review time, and you’ve prepared, followed an evidence- based approach, adjusted all the weightings reflecting any goal changes, and dealt with any problematic issues that have come up.
Now, it’s time to have the review meeting.
How can you ensure the performance review is productive?
Running performance reviews don’t come naturally to most people, so planning them requires a little thought.
In my decades of managing performance reviews, I’ve seen supervisors, managers, and CEOs struggle with the meetings. If the whole ‘sitting down with the team and giving them a grade’ thing stresses you out, you’re not alone.
Like anything else, everything becomes a lot easier with some thought, planning, and common sense.
Remember, your team member will be keyed up about the meeting. Their performance is under discussion, and they need to feel seen, heard, and appreciated.
You can achieve this by getting the environment right, focusing on your team member, and prioritizing the meeting.
1. Get the performance review meeting environment right
I’ve had performance reviews in a noisy cafe and a crowded pub. One was in a building being renovated, and the guy with the drill was right outside.
I didn’t feel heard by my manager, and I literally couldn’t be heard.
If the environment is uncomfortable or not conducive to a private chat, it will compromise the meeting.
To ensure the environment helps rather than sabotages:
- Hold the meeting somewhere neutral, not your office
- Find somewhere quiet
- Ensure there is enough space for your laptop and any documentation
- Have easy access to power or screen if the system is online
- Make the location easy to get to
- Sit side by side with your team member, not across from them
- Offer water, tea, or coffee
- Make sure the space isn’t too hot or cold
- Avoid anywhere with flickering lights or sunny windows without blinds
Now that you’ve got a quiet, calm environment, it’s time to focus on your team member.
2. Focus on your team member
The performance review meeting is your team member’s chance to shine, talk about themselves, and tell you about their career aspirations.
It’s about your team member, not you, so let them be heard.
To demonstrate that your focus is on your team member:
- Switch off your phone and anything that dings on your laptop
- Ensure there are no interruptions
- Avoid booking meetings directly after the review meeting. You might need to go over time
- Check the room booking on the day of the meeting
- Be well prepared
- Allow plenty of time
- Let your team member speak and ask probing questions
- Practice active listening
Focusing on your direct report in the meeting will make them feel heard.
3. Prioritize the performance review meeting
Making the review meeting a priority will set you up for a successful meeting. You’ll be confident because everything is organized, and your team member will have a positive frame of mind about the meeting.
To make sure the meeting is prioritized:
- Book the meeting well in advance
- Don’t cancel or delay the meeting
- Be on time
Summary
How you approach performance reviews affects your team’s engagement, confidence, and well-being.
Remember that attending performance appraisals and talking about ratings can be very stressful for your team, so it’s essential to make the meeting go as smoothly as possible.
A little planning, thought, and courtesy goes a long way.
Click here to develop your career as a leader with my free weekly newsletter.
You’ll also get a copy of The New Leader’s Starter Kit that takes you through how to run One-to-Ones and Constructive Feedback sessions & develop effective listening skills.
