Don't give up on me just yet

It’s been really fashionable in the tech world over the past few years to dump your performance appraisal process and let’s face it, I think all of us have had pretty mixed experiences in these meetings over the years and the feeling that…. well that’s 90 minutes of my life I’m not going to get back!! 

It’s so easy to point the finger at the process, but how well do businesses equip our leaders and managers to have these important conversations? 

Well, my own experience in a range of global business, is that businesses tend to be great at telling leaders and managers what they need to do by when but are less good at explaining how they are supposed to do this, or helping leaders develop the skills they need to have great conversations about performance, development and careers. The result is that many leaders are forced to bluff their way through these conversations and just do the best they can… so no surprise they’re often poorly executed!

The good news is I have begun to see more businesses investing in ‘leader as coach’ style programmes – something I designed and rolled out at Bupa International – so hopefully this means we’re finally seeing a recognition from businesses that they really need to invest and develop these skills in their leadership communities, along with understanding the importance of these conversations.

So my advice is don’t give up on performance appraisals just yet, as in the right hands they can be truly uplifting and inspiring conversations that remind you why you love working for the business you’re in.