Think Gray – performance reviews

A performance review is not good or bad but thinking makes it so!

A performance review is only a tool, the successful use of any tool lies in the skill of the craftsman. “Only a bad worker blames his tools”-words said to me many times by my father as I grew up and proved I was not cut out to follow him into joinery!

Some companies, according to a Wall Street Journal article, are replacing performance reviews with “regular coaching interventions.”.

They are missing the point.

A performance review is a part of any coaching intervention!

A coach helps you to evaluate your performance against your goals and helps you to create the conditions to improve, close any gaps.

Performance Reviews, or appraisals are misused by poor craftsmen when they are used judgementally (“You are bad” rather than “did your actions match your intentions?”) and/or when they are used to manipulate someones rating to match a bell curve to meet a salary budget.

“A Place for everything and everything in its place.” was another favourite of my father. A Performance review is a place for self awareness, self acceptance and re-setting purposeful goals. It is not a place for agreeing salaries or competitive judgementalism.

“The right tool for the right job” more of my fathers wisdom, I’ll let you ponder on that one.

At Think Gray! We help you to create the conditions that empower flourishing.