No More Reviews!

On February 12, 2008, we officially banned the word "review" from our company.  I am not sure there isn't a more vile word in the business world. 

Lisa Haneberg calls this ritual performance appraisal and Rosa Say calls it performance review.  Both management coaches agree, it's so 1960's.

I should check myself and relate the word vile to my own experience.  Twenty-four years in one industry and I have never heard this poisonous dance referred to as anything but The Review.  Lisa says, "It is a remnant of obsolescence which clings like a parasite, draining energy from our organization."  And in most cases that I can remember, energy was drained throughout the time leading to the event and most definitely following the event.  Here is a snapshot from my memory.

Prior to the event, the manager gathers ammunition from managers who work under him and also from the employee's file.  The manager concentrates on the evidence that could potentially convict the employee of poor performance.  During this time the employee tries to remember all the good things he did in the last year.

Now we are in the manager's lair.  He sits on one side of his desk and the employee on the other.  I've seen cases when a manager who normally wouldn't wear a tie, wear one on review day - a red one.  Having properly prepped for battle, both sides dig in.  At this point I see a dollar bill laying on the desk.  Each side picks one half of the bill up.  The dance is now a tug-of-war.  The manager brings up negative points about the employee and the bill comes his way.  The employee brings up positive points about himself and the bill comes his way.  Finally the bill breaks in the end and neither party got what they wanted.

Rosa says, "Great managers don't wait for an annual review to creep up on them; they work with their employees all along the way."  This is the direction that we are heading.  My intent is to sit down each quarter with team members and have a conversation.  Officially this is what we are calling the event: a conversation.

You might ask, "But Dave, you have conversations all year long.  What's up with this?"

Every breath I take, every step I move forward, every pen stroke I stroke, every keyboard I click and every verb I pronounce, must all tie back into our vision:

To use our place of work as a vehicle to enhance you and your family's quality of life.

The intent is to continually improve our character, skills and performance, with the end vision in mind.  This is what we'll converse about in our scheduled conversations.

Quick juicy tidbit link that contains the key to making this type of conversation successful: Juicy Tidbit Link

Comments

[Steve Sherlock]

Congratulations! This is wonderful. Do you have any positions open in New England? You are the kind of manager that I could work for!

[dave]

LOL! Thanks Steve.