Is the end of the annual appraisal interview in sight?
Let us hope so. Over the last 10 years, we have seen an interesting evolution in this regard. Ask employees how they experience this interview, and a majority undergo it with reluctance. It causes stress and uncertainty, and as it turns out, many leave such a meeting with less motivation than they had before.
Demotivation
What are you saying? Less motivation? Why do we hold that meeting then? I thought the intention should be for employees to grow, gain energy, and be ready for the next stage with great enthusiasm and commitment. Every organization needs “co-workers” who see the work themselves and then take it up with a strong work ethic and complete it successfully.
Self-direction
More than ever, we demand creativity, flexibility, commitment, and dedication. However, these competencies and attitudes can only be driven by intrinsic motivation. You cannot impose this.
Consequently, the focus is no longer on evaluating employees, but on helping to develop autonomous, self-directed colleagues who contribute to the common result through their self-motivation. This requires a different approach and, therefore, different competencies from the manager.
Feedback is the fuel of champions.
And we mean positive feedback! Do we not all want a regular meeting with our manager? To be able to align, exchange ideas, receive constructive feedback, and get confirmation about what we are doing. We want to understand what is expected of us and avoid receiving negative feedback at all costs.
Always a dialogue
Why are appraisal and performance reviews often monologues—one-way traffic—where the focus is on the employee’s points for improvement and much less on their qualities and growth opportunities?
Where does the urge come from to rake up the past once a year? Besides, what can you still change about the past? The past year is gone for good. We can only influence the future. If an employee did something wrong in the past, or if their results were insufficient regarding a certain topic, is the only conclusion that they must work harder? I think not.
Why would I make mistakes on purpose?
Who is going to make mistakes intentionally, knowing that you will certainly be held accountable for them? In such a situation, you can be almost certain that the employee does not know any better way to handle that particular issue. After all, the evidence is on the table: the result is insufficient, so the output is incorrect.
Pointing out the problem and pressing hard on it certainly increases the pain, but it does not heal the wound. You can try to solve it curatively, but it is better to take a preventive approach. That is to say: provide the missing knowledge, teach the necessary skills, and then coach them intensively until it becomes automatic behavior—in short, until the competency is developed.
Work on the input instead of exerting pressure on the output. The output is merely a source of information, a measurement point, an indicator that there is a lack of certain knowledge, skills, and competencies to address that specific issue.
We know how it should be done, don’t we!
If all this seems logical, why is it so difficult to apply in practice? Yet we know how it should be done. Young parents have an abundance of patience and lovingly spend all their time raising their little ones. And every bit of progress brings a moment of extreme joy: the first smile, the first words, the first steps. At no point is there pressure on the output. The family is at the service of the growing toddler. Everyone helps, supports, and encourages.
We teach them to walk, later to cycle, to play football, and then slowly the attitude of society towards the learning process changes. At school, the first report card appears, where the focus is now on the output: “what are your results for reading, arithmetic, etc.?” And if the results are not “good”, is the conclusion then: “you must try harder”?
You cannot make grass grow faster by pulling it; it will break. It is very simple: provide sun, water, and nutrients.
Resistance to change does not exist?
Imagine for a moment that we approached students and employees as customers? By that, I mean focusing on understanding and discovering what the personal needs and requirements are. What help do they need? What motivates them? What demotivates them?
You often hear it said that people are resistant to change. Nothing could be further from the truth. Getting married is a very significant change in your life, as is buying a house, having children, changing jobs… and yet all these changes bring great joy and satisfaction. What is the problem then? People are afraid of pain; they are not against change, but they are against the potential pain that change can bring. Remove the pain, and they will fully embrace the evolution.
When the term performance review was launched in the 1980s to replace the appraisal interview, it was hopeful and probably intended to be more focused on employee development rather than just evaluation. However, replacing the word was not enough; it is about the entire approach and methodology.
There is nothing noble about being superior to some other person. The true nobility is in being superior to your previous self. (Hindu proverb)
Constantly keeping a finger on the pulse
Today we know that the problem lies more with the manager. What may the employee expect from their manager? May they expect to count on coaching and support every day until the expected competency is acquired?
And that means we should sit together regularly in a one-on-one meeting where the current situation is discussed in a dialogue, and an action plan is immediately agreed upon regarding who will do what by when, so that the necessary competencies are refined step by step. By providing knowledge and skills, the employee is allowed to grow towards autonomy. But managers must be given the time for this, which means that the job description of managers in many organizations should be reviewed.
The message is that an annual meeting can certainly take place where the employee creates their own SWOT analysis: what are my strengths, what are my weaknesses, where are the threats to my career, and where are my opportunities? The manager’s role is to help in this self-evaluation process by asking the right questions and, above all, making the person aware of their qualities, and then developing the energy and motivation to want to and be able to work on their own development more self-confidently. But it must not stop at that annual meeting; what do you do during the other 11 months?
Just imagine…….
What if we were to give “Coaching” absolute priority in the manager’s job description, and fill the remaining time with other tasks, instead of the other way around? What a revolution that would be! But I am told that is difficult to measure. No, it is not. The team’s results are direct evidence of the quality of individual coaching. In sports, figures like Philippe Clement show how it should be done: believe in your player, give opportunities, work and coach intensively on qualities and points for improvement, and success will follow. He showed it at Waasland Beveren, at KRC Genk, and now also in Bruges.
Finally: 10 Tips:
Think about the following questions in advance:
1. What growth have I observed, and how can I demonstrate that with concrete examples?
2. What open-ended questions can I ask to further stimulate my employee’s self-awareness and self-reflection?
3. Have I already given appreciation and recognition for every positive result in anything? Note them down now and provide this positive feedback anyway.
4. Where do the opportunities lie for your employee? Regarding what is there a need for extra knowledge or extra skills? And how will I, as a coach, be able to provide support in this? What external resources or help do I need for this myself? Do your homework.
5. How can I increase his/her personal success? What opportunities are there to give him/her the chance to achieve something themselves, to develop or create something themselves? Think about it and make a proposal.
6. Am I sure that I have invested enough time and effort in explaining the business decisions and strategy? Have I not glossed over anything too quickly or superficially? Am I sure that my employee has understood the full scope of decisions so that they can truly support them? Provide the necessary details, information, and examples.
7. Am I sure that my employee’s working conditions are excellent? Have I listened to every comment or complaint and acted upon it? Have I removed all obstacles? Is the CRM system user-friendly? Are all tools available? … etc.
8. And do I never (or almost never) postpone a meeting?
9. And am I always well-prepared myself, without improvisation?
10. And do I always ensure that the employee leaves the meeting with more motivation than when they arrived?
performance review, appraisal interview , appraisal, coaching , developing