From time to time, all of us face at work THE REVIEW.
In this article I'll share a tip on how to navigate the review process with confidence. My tip is based around one word, "How".
The review process, normally designed by an enthusiast in HR is imposed on you as a member of the organisation.
If done well, a review meeting can be a very helpful discussion between team member and manager. It does however require preparation on both sides to be worth doing at all.
A review is a reflective process followed by a trusting exchange of opinion and fact. At least that's what it should be. So often however it's a one way affair where either the manager or team member have not taken time to reflect, gather information and organise their thoughts. When neither have done so it becomes a farce and worse than useless.
The sense of trepidation many people feel going into a review either as a manager or as a person being reviewed is sometimes caused by anxiety about the outcome. I'd suggest that it's also caused by a lack of preparation.
Remember the 7 Ps?
If not, here's a reminder; the 7 Ps is a British Army adage for "Proper Planning and Preparation Prevents Piss Poor Performance".
To prepare properly for a review you need 3 things;
1. Something to review against
2. Facts
3. Understanding
Something to review against would normally be previously agreed goals, targets or objectives. If you don't have these for any reason, a job description is a good back up.
Facts are useful. Sounds obvious, but you'll need solid examples, numbers, customer feedback, sales figures, project delivery dates etc.
The understanding piece comes back to the word "how". "How" is the word that can help you prepare better for a review.
"How did I/you achieve X?"
By asking this one question you can identify the positive behaviours that need to be encouraged or highlighted.
It can be used to describe context in a way that facts alone cannot.
It's a useful little word, whichever side of the table you are on.
In this article I'll share a tip on how to navigate the review process with confidence. My tip is based around one word, "How".
The review process, normally designed by an enthusiast in HR is imposed on you as a member of the organisation.
If done well, a review meeting can be a very helpful discussion between team member and manager. It does however require preparation on both sides to be worth doing at all.
A review is a reflective process followed by a trusting exchange of opinion and fact. At least that's what it should be. So often however it's a one way affair where either the manager or team member have not taken time to reflect, gather information and organise their thoughts. When neither have done so it becomes a farce and worse than useless.
The sense of trepidation many people feel going into a review either as a manager or as a person being reviewed is sometimes caused by anxiety about the outcome. I'd suggest that it's also caused by a lack of preparation.
Remember the 7 Ps?
If not, here's a reminder; the 7 Ps is a British Army adage for "Proper Planning and Preparation Prevents Piss Poor Performance".
To prepare properly for a review you need 3 things;
1. Something to review against
2. Facts
3. Understanding
Something to review against would normally be previously agreed goals, targets or objectives. If you don't have these for any reason, a job description is a good back up.
Facts are useful. Sounds obvious, but you'll need solid examples, numbers, customer feedback, sales figures, project delivery dates etc.
The understanding piece comes back to the word "how". "How" is the word that can help you prepare better for a review.
"How did I/you achieve X?"
By asking this one question you can identify the positive behaviours that need to be encouraged or highlighted.
It can be used to describe context in a way that facts alone cannot.
It's a useful little word, whichever side of the table you are on.
