As shown in my book, The Sniper’s Guide to Leadership, there are true horror stories out there about bosses and their inability to communicate. It seems the worst comes out during performance reviews. How can you, as a leader, make them less painful?
First of all, an annual review should be just that – a review – not a passive-aggressive way to get back at your employees for everything you didn’t like for the last 12 months and didn’t bother to tell them. If your employees are learning something new on their reviews, you have failed them as a leader. Feedback – good and bad – must be early and often!
In a recent article on TinyHR, I told the story of the worst review I ever received. My supervisor offered advice on how to handle a falling out with a fellow employee. The advice was not tangible nor was it applicable. Plus, it involved an incident several months in the past – one that was long forgotten both by the person who complained and by me. What was the point?
If you have an employee complaint against another employee, don’t wait for a review – correct it immediately! You’d be amazed at how much can be resolved in the moment that cannot be corrected weeks, particularly months, later.
I must admit the comment about the boss recommending the ‘saloons’ for the employee was unique.. (on the TinyHR page)