Get More Out of Your Staff’s Performance Reviews by Having “Performance Conversations” Instead

July 20, 2021
Spotlight Branding

If you conduct regular performance reviews for your team, then you know just how frustrating they can be. Sometimes you can spend an hour assessing a problem, only for you AND your employee to leave the room more confused than when you entered! This is because the typical “performance review” process is flawed. It’s time to toss it out the window. 

Here at Spotlight Branding, we’ve swapped out quarterly performance reviews for “quarterly conversations.” This simple mindset switch makes the review process a two-way street. In a conversation, both the manager and employee assess the employee’s role and performance before the meeting. Then, they sit down together, share their thoughts, and identify gaps between their impressions. The goal is to come to a consensus and close those gaps. Here are three questions our team dives into in every quarterly conversation. 

Does the team member … 

1. Live out our core values in the workplace? 

This part of the conversation explores company culture. As a manager, do you think the employee lives and breathes your firm’s core values? Are they contributing to the company culture in a positive way? Why or why not? What do they think? If they think they are crushing the core value game and you feel differently, talk about that and come to an understanding. 

2. Regularly meet their goals, metrics, and other key performance indicators? 

There’s not much room for argument here — either your team member met their goals or they didn’t. But if they didn’t, this is a good opportunity to talk about what happened and give them a chance to explain their performance. 

3. Still understand, enjoy, and have the capacity to perform their role? 

The employee’s perspective on this question is key. Ask if they still enjoy their job and feel they have the necessary tools and skills to succeed. If they don’t, chat about that! Similarly, you may find the team member wants to transition out of their role, either with your firm or outside of it. It’s best to ask about these things so you can be prepared and clear up misunderstandings. 

If you follow this model, you AND your employee will leave the room feeling enlightened.

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Spotlight Branding

Spotlight Branding is a content marketing and branding firm for lawyers and other professionals. Our goal is to help you create an online presence that positions you as a credible expert in your field, keeps you connected with your network in order to stay top of mind and increase referrals, and to become more visible online so prospects can find you!