Ending With the Beginning in Mind

1. Ending With the Beginning in Mind Taking the Fear out of Performance Evaluations

2. What Should Performance Evaluations Be About?

3. General Worth? • Forbes Magazine Findings • 98% of Staff Find Annual Performance Reviews Unnecessary • Lackadaisical management attitude = employee apathy

4. Generally Worthless! • 98% of staff find annual performance reviews unnecessary • Lackadaisical management attitude = employee apathy

5. Common Excuses • Our Work is Different • It’s Either Pass or Fail so Who Cares? • There’s no Money Anyway!

6. Common Excuses

7. R477-10-1. Performance Evaluation • (1) Performance management systems shall satisfy the following criteria: • (a) Agency management shall select an overall performance rating scale. • (b) Performance standards and expectations for each employee shall be specifically written in a performance plan. • (c) Managers or supervisors provide employees with regular verbal and written feedback based on the standards of performance and behavior outlined in the performance plan. • (d) An employee shall have the right to include written comments pertaining to the evaluation with the employee's performance evaluation. • (2) Each fiscal year a state employee shall receive a performance evaluation. • (a) A probationary employee shall receive an additional performance evaluation at the end of the probationary period.

8. What Will We Be Discussing? • Before the Evaluation Meeting • During the Evaluation Meeting • After the Evaluation Meeting

9. Long Before the Evaluation Meeting • SMART Objectives • Consistent Feedback (at least quarterly) • Culture of Accountability • Never, Ever any Surprises

10. Just Before the Evaluation Meeting • Give Notice Well Before the Actual Meeting • Communicate Agenda (Performance Narrative, Rating, Next Year’s Plan) • Allow the Employee to Prepare for the Meeting

11. During the Evaluation Meeting • Tell and Sell • Tell and Listen • Problem Solving Approach

12. Performance Narrative

13. Performance Narrative • What did the Employee Accomplish? • What Value did the Employee add? • What Could They Have Done Better? • What Would they Like to do This Year? • What Recommendations do They Have to Improve the Position?

14. What if the Narrative is Negative? • If it Hasn’t Happened Before, This is the Time to Change Performance (No Surprises, but no Excuses) • Make Sure the Meeting is Constructive, Looking Towards the Future

15. Assertive Communication Assertive communication is the straightforward and open expression of your needs, desires, thoughts and feelings. Assertive communication involves advocating for your own needs while still considering and respecting the needs of others. • Management Responsibilities • Begin With Genuine Praise • Think “and” Instead of “buts” • Focus on Behaviors • Don’t Rely on Subtext

16. During the Performance Evaluation

17. Diplomatic Dialogue • Use Qualifying Language • Avoid “Always” and “Never” • Don’t Totalize or Inflame • Get to the Root of Things Aggressive Passive Assertive

18. Evaluation Biases • Central Tendency— the tendency to rate all employees the same around a medium or “satisfactory” point. • Halo Effect— the tendency to let one outstanding employee characteristic or ability influence all other items of the evaluation, resulting in unwarranted global judgments. • Contrast Error— evaluating employees using yourself as the standard rather than the standards articulated in the performance plan. • Leniency Bias— evaluating everyone as above average, just different degrees of excellent. • Unrelated Factors— considering personality qualities, quirks, appearance, or other factors that do not affect job performance.

19. After the Evaluation Meeting • Follow Through by Following up • Connect the Evaluation Meeting with the Performance Plan Meeting • If It’s Meaningless to you, it Will be Meaningless to Them

20. What Should Performance Evaluations Be About?

21. Ending With the Beginning in Mind Other Training Resources Continue the Conversation on Linked-In