Performance Review Season is Here: Are You Ready?
I’m sitting in my classroom and Matt’s on his way for my performance review. As he walks in, my heart is racing and I’m barely breathing. As Matt shares the feedback though, I become increasingly calmer. Why? Because everything that Matt is sharing, I already know. Nothing comes as a surprise. Not everything he shares is positive. In fact, the review is full of pushes and places where I can get better. Still, it’s the best meeting I’ve ever had with Matt. It confirms what I already know to be true- Matt is honest and I can trust what he is saying. Over a decade later, Matt was one of the first calls I made to join the board when I became the Executive Director of SLL.
Not every review experience is as positive as this one. As both a receiver and giver of reviews, I know that they are high stakes and can often go wrong. When they do go wrong, not only are we missing a development opportunity, we might even lose some people. In fact, a Gallup Poll found that only 14% of employees agree that their performance review was inspiring.
So how do we set ourselves up for review success?
Clear is Kind: We feel like we have told someone countless times that they are not meeting our expectations. But have we? Have we said clearly, “I value commitment and follow through and you have a pattern of not meeting deadlines. It’s having a negative impact on me and we need to address it”? Or have we sent emails like, “Hey Sarah, quick reminder, your lesson plans were due this morning” so many times that we just assume Sarah knows there is a problem? Have we said the same thing to this member of our team that we have said about them when talking to others? It’s hard to be clear and direct; but letting staff and students down as a leader by hiding the truth is much worse. Remember, clear is kind.
Make it a two-way street: At School Leader Lab, our feedback conversations always go both ways. Knowing that feedback conversations are rooted in everyone’s growth sets the tone for mutual respect. To facilitate two-way feedback during the review process, we use the following stems:
I’m working on x. Do you have any feedback for me?
Can you name a time when you have felt fully supported by me?
Is there a time when I could have done more to support you?
What is one thing I can improve when managing the team?
How do you prefer to receive feedback about your work?
Don’t just “wait for the review”: In a tough management situation, I might be tempted to stop trying to give feedback and just wait for the review. In the setting of the review, I have the power and the person has to listen. I build trust in the long term, however, when what I say on a daily or weekly basis matches up with our annual review.
Get support: At School Leader Lab we work with our leaders to have value based, honest conversations. Get a coach, join a cohort. This is tough work and you don’t have to do it alone.
A few tools to help:
Check your process: Great review cycles are a consistent, transparent experience for everyone. Check out this guide from The Management Center.
Prep for the meeting: Don’t check your humanity at the door when you head into a performance review. Be authentic. Demonstrate empathy. This feedback checklist can help you prepare.
Just for fun, which one of these types of feedback givers are you?
School Leader Lab Updates:
Welcome Miles! Akosua Kelley, Partner at School Leader Lab, has welcomed her second son, Miles! Welcome to the world baby Kelley! You really hit the jackpot with your mom, dad, and brother Mason as family.
Save the Date: DC School Leader Cohort 2023 applications open on February 13th. Check out the info sheet here.
