Co-founder of Shook Kelley, a retail architectural firm studying human behavior and focusing on the intersection of commerce and community.
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I’ve probably sat through at least a thousand employee review sessions throughout the past 28 years of co-owning a business. And I’ve tried out a hundred nuanced variations on how to conduct them.
I learned most of my employee review techniques from various books, classes, seminars and human resources consultants, as well as from my old bosses. But despite this guidance, I still struggled to find a simple, intuitive system that worked well for our creative culture.
In my experience, most HR approaches treat employees as subordinate, whereas we consider our staff professional peers. And most review methods have an inherent hierarchal tension that puts the manager in the position of "telling" the employee how they (and their colleagues) believe they're performing at their jobs. This top-down assessment often creates an uncomfortable and intimidating dynamic that can trigger a defensive posture. I would rather have an honest dialog where both the manager and employee learn something.
I'm not sure anyone enjoys the employee review process. For evidence of this, ask employees how anxious they get during their employee review season, and ask managers how they feel about having to conduct employee reviews. I used to dread doing reviews myself, and I had a bad habit of putting them off.
Many years ago, I set out on a quest to see if I could reduce some awkwardness and dread from the manager-employee discussion. My goal was to find a better way for managers and employees to have a more productive conversation.
To achieve this goal, I developed a simple ring diagram that asks employees and managers four basic questions of how they perceive the employee's role, performance and contributions to the business.
These four questions are:
Does the employee meet the minimum requirements of the job?
As employers, we never know how a new employee will work out in the firm until we sign them up, put them into the game, see how they play with others and perform at their base. But typically, within the first three to six weeks, my managers and I have a much better sense of what value a new employee can add to the team or where they might lack.
When an employee is more deficient in areas than we expected, managers often blame themselves for not catching these insufficiencies during the interview. But hiring mistakes happen to all managers. And when it happens, the critical question managers have to ask themselves and their new employee is: What's preventing them from fulfilling their job roles?
A good place to start is determining whether they have the right education, training, talent, skill sets and experience to do the job. If they don't possess the right skills, managers and employees need to focus on the discussion.
Does the employee consistently meet the expectations of the job?
Most managers hope employees will meet the expectations of the job. But this is the area where managers and employees often see things differently.
Sometimes, an employee has the talent but is unclear about their manager's expectations, so they focus on the wrong things. Managers should use this opportunity to clarify the new employee's role and what they're accountable for achieving.
There are other times when an employee might hit some of their expectations, but not all, because they assume some aspects are unimportant or inconsequential. Having a specific discussion about why these expectations are critical is where managers and employees can reach better alignment.
A common problem that often comes up in reviews is that an employee believes they meet or exceed their expectations and deserve a raise and promotion. But if the manager doesn't see it the same way, this is a prime opportunity to talk about different perceptions.
Does the employee regularly exceed the expectations of the job?
The best situation for both managers and employees is when an employee consistently exceeds their expectations and when they go above and beyond every assignment you've given them. Identifying this pattern of excellence is when you know you have an all-star player who can help the business achieve greater levels of success.
When you have an employee who is consistently exceeding their expectations, you need to reward and promote them accordingly. But when you have an employee who wants to grow but is not exceeding your expectations, this is an excellent opportunity to discuss the steps and path for how they can get there.
Does the employee transcend the expectations of the job?
Although much more rare, some employees are so exceptional at whatever job, task or assignment you give them that they redefine what the position is and set a new pace and standard. These employees transcend your expectations and have the potential to become vital columns in your business.
Using These Questions As A Conversation Starter
I recommend managers let employees answer these questions first to gauge how they perceive their performance. Listening to the employee's perspective can help determine their self-awareness level in terms of how their managers and peers perceive their role.
After an employee has discussed their performance, managers need to discuss how they perceive the employee performing. And within those perceptual alignments or gaps is where the most critical conversation needs to happen.
Regardless of what answer your employee gives you — such as, "I have some things I need to work on," or "I'm doing fantastic and deserve a raise!" — getting their perceptions first takes a lot of the guesswork out of the review. It puts the employee's perceptions on the table and provides an excellent place to start the discussion.
If the employee overestimates their skills and contribution, you can address how you perceive things. If the employee is good at self-identifying issues they need to work on, you can develop a plan for how to gain the skills.
By no means does this four-ring method solve everything, but it's a great place to start a productive conversation.
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