Undoubtedly one of the more unpleasant chores that a manager must deal with is the perennial exercise called performance reviews. The words can almost send a shutter down your spine. I am sure you could share horror stories about these in the comment section below. No one looks forward to them, they take too much time, they invite disagreement often leading to conflict, they always seem to come at one of the most awkward and busy times of the year, you document everything so no one gets sued…need I say more!

So, I was recently with a friend who was just promoted to director within a large Midwestern firm. He told me that he just finished his first round of performance reviews and naturally, I offered my condolences. He stopped, and smiled. I didn’t know if he was a gluten for punishment or it was so bad all he could do was smile. He said, “Oh, no, I love performance reviews because they turn into one of the best tools I have to find out how I am doing.” I about chocked.  What? “You mean you really like them, when so many clearly do not?”  He replied, “Yeah, because I add a twist.  At the end of the discussion about my employee’s performance, I ask them one question. I ask them how they think I could do my job better?”

Naturally, I was intrigued. He told me that he had learned to do this years earlier, and it had really paid off.  The first time he had asked this question, they were surprised, and didn’t really say much.  But the next year, each of his people came well prepared with some very helpful ideas and suggestions.   This turned the entire performance review into a two-way street that opened the way for a very positive and constructive discussion.  It ended the annual exercise on a very high note.

What have your experiences been with performance reviews?  What if, at the end of the discussion, you asked your people how they believed you could do your job better?  What would that do to the entire exercise in terms of value to you, and satisfaction to them?  It is worth thinking about.