A positive, productive performance review will be more effective when you, the supervisor, have laid the groundwork of trust that shows you want the employee to succeed, that you value them, and you will assist them in their development.

Do Four Things Consistently

Provide Clear Expectations

Ensure that staff know what level of performance is expected in their position, and that they have regular opportunities to discuss and reflect on their performance with you.

Provide Regular Feedback and Coaching

Schedule periodic opportunities to provide feedback to your employees. The Center for Creative Leadership’s SBI Model is an effective way to give positive and corrective feedback in the form of situation, behavior, and impact. This model can be used to provide both positive and developmental feedback. Further inquiry about intent can move these conversations from one-way to two-way.

Use Effective Recognition - Get to Know What Motivates Each Person

Ask these questions during a feedback meeting/discussion:

How do you like to be recognized for your efforts?
Answers vary a great deal and may include: a personal note, a public statement at a meeting or on an intranet, notifying the department head, a note in the personnel file, time to attend training, opportunities to learn new skills, etc.

What do you like to be recognized for? 
The answer to this question will assist you in the future and may include: problem solving, going beyond job duties, volunteering to help the team, creativity, longevity, productivity, assisting the team with conflict, etc. Knowing what is important to an employee affords you the opportunity to place that person in situations where they can excel, and then you can show appreciation for their efforts.

Collaborate for Individual Staff Development

It is in the best interest of the University, each department, every supervisor, and every staff member to plan and act for their career and professional development. A good career development discussion begins with asking the right questions in conversation with your employees. These questions can help you align workplace opportunities with employee aspirations, interests, and skills.

Development goals are important, too, and can help employees hone current skills and learn new ones. Career development discussions can provide information that also aids day-to-day professional development. For example, if an employee indicates that they would like to develop skills to effectively lead meetings, you could establish an action plan such as:

• Assign them as the leader of a subcommittee and collaborate on plans to lead each meeting and reflect on processes.

If the employee says they want to make process improvement a part of the unit’s culture, you could enact an action plan to:

• Attend a Lean Process Improvement session offered by the Iowa Quality Center; and/or
• Collaborate with them to develop and implement a plan to use process improvement with unit challenges.