That dreaded Performance review conversation: Part 1
Why things go wrong
"You know, we truly appreciate what you bring to the table.
Your expertise is valued here and your ability to add a fresh perspective to various discussions helps us become better. Really!
You have had a good first half and I must say you have done well,
However, you need to work on your strategic abilities, be able to think in an agile manner and demonstrate greater ownership.
I really think you can do a lot more and scale up. Let me know how I can help”
And with those words, he glanced at the phone, checking the time and wondering how much longer this conversation is going to take
"Thanks, that's helpful, but can I get that promotion this time? It has been 3 years and I have given all I have to the company.
All my work is appreciated and I am always ready to stretch and do more
You can look at my KPI sheet ... my achievements … "
Almost wanting to scream in frustration but holding that back
"Hmmm ... you know this is a tough year, COVID has spared nobody. Everyone's been impacted.
We have really been hit badly, I am not saying you have not done a great job, but you must realise that the company has its challenges too! <insert pregnant pause wondering what to say next>
Seriously, it has not been easy. I will try, but you know how it is ..."
Avoiding eye contact as he said this, again hoping to find an excuse and end the meeting
If I were to assume that tens of thousands of conversations would have a very similar tone & flow in companies in India, then the chances of me being right are quite high. Performance review conversations are tricky on a good day and complicated under normal circumstances.
These conversations are often plagued with the manager's inability to provide specific, actionable feedback on the performance, leaving the conversation vague and open-ended in terms of recognising what went well and calling out what needs to be done better. From the employee's perspective, it boils down to being a showcase and an event where the outcome is pre-decided and what matters more is how open & candid the manager is in getting to the point
While this is unfortunate, it is not unavoidable. A clear understanding of why this happens can lead us to viable solutions to change this
Photo by LinkedIn Sales Solutions on Unsplash
From my experience, some of the issues that lead to sub-optimal conversations are :
Employee self-assessment not being rooted in reality/peer benchmarking:
Reflecting either a halo effect where one assumes that everything one has done is great or assuming that ratings would anyway be calibrated and hence starting higher in terms of self-assessment leads to a better bargaining chip. Maybe it is a human tendency to highlight the positives and downplay the negatives, but finding candid self-assessments is rarer than it should be. A bit unfortunate considering how an honest self-reflection is an essential step to improvement. The import of this is that the starting point is defensive rather than open-minded
Managers not being prepared enough for the conversation:
You cannot always wing a performance conversation as you do for a regular meeting. This would require an objective assessment of the employee's performance, considering efforts/inputs but rationally measuring and valuing output, thinking deeper into what went well / could have been better. Mentally benchmarking the employee with peers, referencing past feedback and the progress being made etc. Multiple causal factors - inexperienced managers, assuming that insipid feedback conversations (that one may have had in the past) are normal, not prioritising people development enough etc. The effect of this is a missed opportunity to shine a light on the employee objectively and guide the path of self-improvement
Absence of specific feedback on the employee's performance: Any observations made on performance needs to be rooted in specific instances/use cases that would help underscore the point and help the employee understand the feedback objectively. But not referring to such specifics, the feedback ends up being fuzzy English which could be true but doesn't help understand the actual point being made. For example, the fictional conversation at the top of this article. Sometimes I wonder if the fuzziness is merely a function of not having concrete things to say or not having concrete examples to underscore the point. The result is that the employee ends up feeling disheartened about not receiving actionable feedback
A context high on emotion and indexed lower on reason:
Since an individual is being assessed (or to use a stronger term being judged) and their immediate future depends on this conversation, the employee in question ends up taking this to heart and receives the communication filtered through this sieve of emotion. This ends up reinforcing some preconceived notions rather than opening the mind to fresh feedback/perspectives. Sadly the result is that one hears but does not listen, leave alone understand and acknowledge
Managers viewing this as a To-do list item
When a performance review conversation becomes one of the many things to be done and is just another meeting on the calendar, the intellectual and emotional investment the manager makes in the meeting ends up quite low and this directly reflects in the quality of the conversation. Given the number of tasks on a Manager's plate, viewing this as yet another task to do is not uncommon and this reflects on the quality of the preparation and hence the quality of the conversation too
Manager's inability to be honest & candid
Perhaps the biggest deterrent to a quality performance conversation is a Manager's inability to be objectively open, honest & candid. We are very apprehensive of being direct in our feedback and worry that the other person would feel bad if we spoke honestly. The ability to be direct & candid in the feedback stems from a sense of confidence in oneself, a clear view of what is the purpose of the conversation and what needs to be communicated. Unfortunately, if enough groundwork has not been done, then the conversation is not as objective as it should be and neither is it as honest as it should be
That sums up Part 1 of this series. Part 2 which will cover what managers, employees and organisations could do to make performance reviews more meaningful is coming up soon