Some first time managers recently asked me how often I give performance evaluations to my employees. I responded, "Everyday." This clearly surprised them. I guess they were expecting me to say, "Annually" or "Quarterly."
Feedback is the most important tool we have for getting the superior performance we want and NEED from our employees and team members.
Every person wants and needs to know how she or he is 'doing.' Our daily life is filled with regular, instant feedback. The stomach informs us of our eating habits. Our car's instruments evaluate our driving habits. Our children remind us of our parenting skills. Our bank balance informs us of our ability to save.
Why should regular, instant feedback be crucial to our work lives?
When you provide daily feedback you will be able to:
- Catch ethical problems as they occur
- Locate misunderstandings before they fester and grow
- Identify communication breakdowns
- Immediately reinforce good work habits
Daily feedback arises from an informal process when you meet with each employee daily and ask, "How is it going?" You create an opportunity to describe your view of how the person is performing. You can incorporate this into your daily routine easily by seeking out what each person is doing and really listening to that person.
I don’t have enough time now to do my own work!
The more daily feedback you give your employees, the less managing you will have to do. Daily feedback is the ultimate self-fulfilling prophecy. Your employees will quickly expand in their roles and take on more responsibilities. Even better, they will begin to give each other daily feedback. You will find more time to do the tasks that are important and that support their efforts.
When you spot excellent performance:
- Describe what you saw and how you felt.
- Ask the person to describe how he felt about the outcome.
- Praise and honor the action taken or decision made.
If you see a problem beginning to develop:
- Describe what you saw and how you reacted and felt.
- Ask for the person's view and reason for his action.
- Discuss how the person can improve and identify specific actions you hope to see.
The final step is to gently challenge the person to rate his or her own performance daily.
When you evaluate team members and employees daily, you will see them doing more of the “right things." You will gain their respect as a caring, thoughtful leader! And your culture will be one of integrity and productivity!
©
Ron Rael, CPA. All Rights Reserved. Ron Rael, CPA is an authority on workplace
culture. He works with Fast Forward business leaders, coaching them on ways to
recognize, reenergize and revitalize their unique work cultures. He welcomes your
thoughts and comments and can be reached at (425) 898-8072 or e-mailed at Ron@ronrael.com