I’ve found myself involved in conversations about performance reviews and evaluation of others. At the same time, I have watched certain of my colleagues betray themselves and their values professed values. They have become exhausted fighting the good fight. They are not themselves. They stumble because they are fatigued or may have outgrown their current context, and then they shake their fists at others.
I really appreciate the importance of setting and maintaining quality and productivity standards in all their multi-variant glory. But sometimes it seems to me if we were to ask the simplest question of all about individual performance “What shows up when Jane or John Doe shows up?” we’d get a rich plethora of information.
Last week, in yet another rich discussion on performance reviews and performance management, I think one of the outcomes turned out to be that performance goals we set for ourselves—and choose to monitor whether or not the organization chooses to monitor them—are the most meaningful and effective.
So, ask yourself and those whose feedback you value:
What shows up when I show up?
You can do that as often as you like. You don’t have to wait a year. You can do it every week, once a year on your birthday, at the end of every project, or whatever suits you. Keep track of what you get back. You’ll likely be surprised. I have been.
