Two-Way Performance Reviews
On a yearly basis we, like many companies, hold performance reviews. These are private one-on-one meetings to clarify job responsibilities, recognize and appreciate a person’s strengths, identify their weaknesses and address strategies to mitigate or adapt to those weaknesses.
Traditionally this ends up being a rather one-way review which, in some situations, results in the boss preaching in a parental manner to their staff. I once worked for a boss who was terrible and failed to do his job well or to even understand what he should do, given everyone else’s tasks. He only recognized weaknesses that he also shared and hypocritically focused on those during reviews. When the staff gathered later for lunch or break this resulted in a lot of frustrated laughs and a lack of respect for our boss. There was very little change or improvement.
Our reviews at 3000k counter this by being two-way. As the owner I review a person’s performance and they do the same for me. We both prepare written evaluations with suggestions for improvement prior to meeting so we have documents to reference and benchmark against during future reviews.
I’ve found this to be an invaluable way to start a conversation with my staff about how I could improve my work, and how we can better work together to mitigate the weaknesses we’ve discussed. I often have as much or more to improve than the person I’ve been reviewing!
This process shows that I’m open to change and feedback, that I care about what employees think of how I’m working and want their ideas on how to improve, and that I want to talk about these issues. It then gives me a chance to set a good example by working to improve, or a good understanding of how hard it can be to change if I don’t alter my weaknesses and need to help staff with the same problem. We’re only human.
So start a conversation. Have a two-way performance review and see what feedback you get from your boss, or have to give. It’ll make you both better at what you do and probably identify ways to work together you’ve never thought of that make the most of your strengths and minimize your weaknesses.
