Stop Waiting for Feedback: Write Your Own Review

Performance reviews by ambush. Leaders who treat feedback like the plague. Bosses who never ask where you want to be in one to three years. That was my lead-in to the first blog in a series called “Write Your Own Review,” and I tackled the first frustration: Performance by Ambush. Today, let’s look at the second frustration: Leaders who treat feedback like the plague. Tired of it? Turn it around and write your own review! That is a game changer.

Leaders Who Treat Feedback Like the Plague

When was the last time your boss gave you feedback? I bet it wasn’t within the past week or month. Like most leaders, who grudgingly give out feedback once a year when it’s required, you probably got the feedback then . . . or not.

If you did get a performance review, was it an honest assessment, citing specific facts or conduct, or was it generic, applicable to almost anyone on your team? If the one chance for feedback was the annual “Performance Review,” did you get all 3’s and above on a five-point scale?

The Story:

I was part of a team of consultants that spent five years developing and facilitating the “Executive Leadership Development Institute” for 500 of the senior employees of the nation’s largest municipal utility. Among other training modules, I was charged with drafting and presenting “Performance Management: A Process, not a Document.”

The room was set up in classroom style, with tables and chairs in rows to accommodate the 50 participants per cohort. I started the first session by asking the following questions – answers follow in bold. This was the sequence in one of the cohorts.

1. Q: How many of you like to receive feedback? A: Nearly every hand went up.
2. Q: How many like to receive the negative with the positive? A: Again, nearly every hand went up.
3. Q: Why? A: I want to know the areas where I need to improve (to get ahead).
4. Q: How many of you like to give feedback? A: One hand only – from someone in the first row – shot up?
5. Q: For you who didn’t raise your hand, why? A: “I don’t want to hurt my employee’s feelings.”
6. Q: (To the person in the front row). Why did you raise your hand? A: I like to know where I stand, so I assume my employees do, too.

Bingo!! These leaders wanted to learn where and how to improve, yet they feared giving out the same feedback for fear of hurting their team members’ feelings.

If you work for one of the many bosses or leaders who treat feedback like the plague, it’s time to change the power dynamic. It’s time to “Write Your Own Review.” It’s the best place to start.

Where Do I Start? How Do I Write My Own Review?

Step #1

1. 1. List Three Strengths: Consider what your three greatest strengths are and write them down. Provide examples of specific activities or facts that support your assertion, and how these strengths could be used to increase overall team or department productivity:
      • Strength: I write well.
      • Example: When our team was assigned the task of recommending new office furniture, we agreed that I would write the final report.
      • Additional Contributions: I am happy to be a resource for team members having difficulty writing, and to edit their work products.
   2. List Three Areas I Should Improve: Consider what your three biggest challenges are and write them down. Provide examples of specific activities or facts you believe support the contention, and what you plan to do to improve:
      • Challenge: I have missed some deadlines.
      • Example: I handed in my February expense report late, causing the department’s closing numbers to be late.
      • Plan to Improve: I will keep a chart of all my due dates and check them before I leave each day. I will reprioritize them to ensure all deadlines are met. I will ask for help from fellow team members, if appropriate, or ask you to help me prioritize.

Step #2

Schedule a 15-minute meeting with your boss to discuss the review. Discover what you two agree on, and where you are at odds.

Step #3

Develop a Plan and work it.

Step #4

Schedule quarterly follow-up meetings.

Feedback is a critical part of workplace growth. If you are not getting honest, straightforward, and fact-based feedback, quit waiting. Write Your Own Review.

Stay tuned for more blogs on the topic, or reach out to me at diana@dianapetersonmore.com.