The Seven – Step Performance Review

Over the course of my career, I have been fortunate to have the opportunity to give performance reviews to my colleagues. Whether it was talking to my law clerks as a judge, sitting with associates as a partner at a law firm, or providing feedback to Assistant U.S. Attorneys as the U.S. Attorney, I often found myself responsible for helping my colleagues look back at their work and develop a plan for their continued development.

Disclaimer: while in my 40-year career I have given hundreds of performance reviews, I am not an HR professional. These are my considered views as I look back at what proved to be most successful. 

Generally, organizations believe that the person best suited to give a performance review is the person who has worked most closely with the reviewee. While I think that is the best-case scenario, that person may not be the right person if they do not come to the task with specificity, sincerity, empathy, and most importantly, a thoughtful gameplan.

Here is my seven-step gameplan:

1. “Your development is important to me …”

The reviewer should be someone who sincerely cares about the development of the person whose work is being reviewed. The reviewer needs to be able to say with sincerity: “Your development is important to me and to this organization. The purpose of this review is to make your development trajectory as steep as possible.” That should be your first comment. If the direct supervisor cannot honestly and convincingly state that they care about the development of the reviewee (and be prepared to back that comment up) then they are not best positioned to deliver the review. 

2. “Let’s talk about your career goals and expectations.”

If you have never talked to the reviewee about their career goals and expectations, you should. What do they want out of their career? What is their dream job? This can be a sensitive conversation because it may be hard for the reviewee to say, “I don’t want to end up here for the rest of my career!”  However, an open discussion of career goals can help you frame the action steps and development advice you give.

3. “Let’s talk about the things you did well.” 

It is important that the discussion start with an honest review of the strengths of the reviewee (or the areas where the reviewee has gotten better). It must be specific and should include at least three examples. You might talk about a project they completed well. It might be a comment about their particularly skillful interaction with a client. Whether it was their writing, research, productivity, problem solving ability, teamwork, attitude, attendance, etc., you should spend some time laying out their strengths. It is important that reviewee knows that you have seen them and value what they have brought to the team. 

4. “Now let’s talk about your areas for improvement.” 

This is the part of the review that most reviewers dread. But you shouldn’t. You should just be prepared. The areas for improvement should be clearly articulated. You must assure yourself (before the performance review) that the expressed concerns are fair. Again, specificity is important. If the area for improvement has been relayed to you by a colleague, it helps to understand the background clearly so that basic questions about the deficiency can be answered. I have always shortened arguments about areas of concerns raised by others by saying some version of, “I may not understand all the background that caused X to express that concern. However, at the very least, we must address the perception that this is an area for improvement.” 

5. “What are the things you can do to develop your skills and improve?”

You should spend some time discussing what the reviewee can do to get better. Nothing is more frustrating than being told you must improve without a somewhat detailed discussion of how that improvement can take place. Can they take a course or attend a seminar? Is there a book, magazine, or some other material that they can read? Are there professional organizations they can join? Are there colleagues they can shadow or a coach that they can talk to? Do they need to find someone (perhaps a peer) who can review or discuss their work and provide helpful feedback before it is submitted? 

6. “Here’s how I can help you in developing or improving your skills.” 

You must be specific about the steps you can/will take to assist in the reviewee’s development. Perhaps that means personally working with the reviewee again. Perhaps you can talk to colleagues about working with the reviewee to give them another perspective and a different set of experiences. Maybe you can give the reviewee specific examples of courses, seminars, books, or professional associations that might prove helpful. Maybe you can introduce them to friends who can provide advice and a new perspective and outside support. Maybe you can recommend a coach to assist in their development. Whatever the set of interventions, you should be clear about how you will participate in their development.

7. The “Get-Back”

Accountability is very important. Having given specific examples of the things both you and the reviewee will do to continue their development, follow-up is important. While the informal conversation or office fly-by to check in is often welcomed, it is vitally important to set a specific date to get back together to see how it is going. I generally picked a date four months out. In that “get-back” meeting, you and the reviewee should talk about whether each participant accomplished the things they said they would. If not, each can renew their commitment to the reviewee’s improvement and the actions it will take for them to get better. Sometimes another four month “get-back” should be scheduled.

I think it is important to follow this outline even when the reviewee is performing to the highest standards. They can always grow or take on different and more challenging assignments (perhaps working to help develop a more junior colleague who could use their guidance). 

In my view, most people want to get better at their craft and simply lack the understanding and assistance necessary to improve. The performance review is an opportunity to provide the support that can add jet fuel to a colleague’s development.