How to use your performance review
As we grow in our careers, we love to hear feedback and define improvement areas. If done thoughtfully, performance reviews can help us not only identify areas of improvement, but also showcase what an employee is extremely good at. If you are looking to grow, performance reviews can be extremely valuable reflection activities.
What exactly is a performance review?
As a formal assessment of people, a performance review allows managers to evaluate and communicate an employee’s work to identify their merits and areas of improvement. Organizations conduct annual performance reviews for the entire workforce in one grand feedback cycle. With more agile organizations, we see a shift towards more frequent feedback cycles. Managers may hold reviews once a month, once every four months, or even on a weekly basis. In fact, some companies simply hold casual reviews for their workers whenever they are necessary.
How to prepare for and approach performance reviews?
Though some employees may dread the performance reviews, we can reframe this thinking as a way that can help us learn and grow in our careers. You can turn this into an anticipated event that helps you get constructive feedback for your career development and as a way to communicate your accomplishments. You can also take steps to prepare for your next review.
1. Share your accomplishments often
When there is a task/project that you are proud of accomplishing, let your manager and team know. It will help everyone notice your contributions if you can give a heads up.
2. Supporting documentation is helpful
If you received positive feedback from someone that you are helping, send it to your manager on your team. It’s great that the feedback giver took time to give you the wonderful feedback and you can share that with your manager to use that as evidence of your contributions. It’s okay to sing your own praises. Come performance review time, the supporting documentation, can be used as evidence of your good work.
3. Communicate your own personal development goals
Take a look at your own career goals. Mention to your manager if there are projects of interest to you or additional areas of interest at work that you would like to explore. Ask your manager if it can be possible to include those interests within your daily work and how your manager can help you get there.
4. Remember that you are there to listen too
Before going into a performance review session, keep a clear, calm mind. One of the important things is to be an active listener during your feedback. That does not mean that you should remain quiet during the whole session. The key point here focuses on active engagement. During the session, employ active listening and then ask the relevant questions regarding the review. It shows that you are invested and interested in improvements.
5. Reflect
At the end of it all, reflect on the feedback given alongside what your career goals are. Think about how you can turn the performance review into a positive use for you.
Finally
After the review cycle, document what you heard and document a brainstorm of your plan moving forward so you remember what is said in your session of performance reviews. This will help you identify your skill-set and learn new techniques or working processes. It will be valuable over the years that follow to compare new performance reviews with prior ones to track progress. Then start working on your progress; even a first little step will start you in meeting your targets and goals.
