13 Jul It’s time for Happraisals!
“You got to be rigorous in your appraisal system. The biggest cowards are managers who don’t let people know where they stand.”
~Jack Welch
Much as people claim to like frank feedback from their bosses during appraisals, there is almost always a denial and defensiveness about every feedback. Universally, leaders dread appraisal times; although the appraisal discussions are data supported, there is always a subjective element to it. Don’t we wonder why we appreciate candid and constructive criticism only retrospectively? On how many occasions have we heard bosses telling their team about a harsh, bolt from the blue negative feedback they had received during early days of their career? `It was a wake-up call’ they claim and that’s what seems to have set them on their right track towards success and growth. Tall or real claims notwithstanding, an appraisal can be a high strung emotional event.
The new age organizations have thought through and have changed many a traditional process or function that had hitherto been held in high importance. One such victim of changing times is the performance appraisal.
With one sweep many corporates have done away with the annual appraisal system. Performance is an ongoing task and therefore, a once a year review will not do justice to the individual and the company. So appraisal, now called reviews, have become a regular weekly or monthly event.
Whatever the cycle is, review meetings should aim to achieve a constructive path towards improvement or betterment. While the review meetings focus on the appraisee, the outcome of the meeting depends largely on the appraiser. Effort has to be taken to make the meeting comprehensive and valuable. Emotional Intelligence plays a great part but it cannot take away hard facts about the performance. An hour or so of discussion should provide ample time to course correct or reinforce performance. And if there is no planned agenda or strategy for this, the meeting will turn out to be a lukewarm perfunctory exercise, with the appraisee confused about his growth and perhaps even hurt that he has no takeaway from the meeting.
Appraisal meetings are typically structured to cover the positives as well as the negatives. Having said, a balanced approach can cause more harm than help. To structure the balanced message most effectively, managers are taught to use the ‘feedback sandwich’ technique, where you provide positive strokes, highlight areas in need of improvement, and then conclude on an encouraging note.
According to performance management expert Dick Grote, this approach is exactly why people dread and detest appraisals. He says the problem with this approach is that there is no clarity in the message. The manager balances somewhere between appreciation and criticism, uttering good words followed by some fault finding and then ending with some words of praise or solace. This technique demotivates the good performer and heartens the poor performer—the complete opposite of what the manager set to achieve.
The single most important aspect in driving high performance is fairness and accuracy of the feedback. Speaking to good performers is comparatively easier than facing the below average. A direct confrontation of poor performance is bound to be painful for the poor performer, but it is essential for the overall benefit of the business.
Appraisal discussion is never easy. More so for the managers as they should do a perfect job of communicating what was intended in a manner that the appraisee comprehends and more critical, accepts. Managers should sound neither condescending nor competitive. A 17th century term which eventually vanished from vocabulary is `well-woulder’. This term describes a well-wisher who wishes you success, as long it is not more than what he or she has. A manager who sees the subordinate as a threat will not anchor a positive appraisal meeting and the appraisee is sure to see through it.
Appraisal is not a failed management practice if planned well, executed impartially and continued consistently. It will remain and function as a talent retention and nurturance technique in the world of work. Comments welcome!
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