The Joy of Performance Reviews
Almost every leader I have ever talked to hates performance reviews. They hate the monotony of sitting down to countless forms and filling out information on their employees. They often view the process as discouraging and demotivating to their team. On top of that, they have to get people pumped up for the upcoming year by setting expectations. Seriously, as an HR professional for over 20+ years, I get it. It's my version of a h***ish nightmare too. What if we're going about it all wrong?
Think about it. Remember when you were a kid and you found a dandelion? How exciting it was to make a wish and blow on it? Watching the fluffy seeds dance in the wind? How happy did that make you? What about when you open a new notebook? The smell of the pages and the possibilities of what to fill it with. New Year's Eve? It's exhilarating to think about what could happen - looking forward to the good things to come. Why can't expectation setting for our teams be the same?
It CAN be. We just need to bring the wonder of expectation back to our teams. When we think about setting expectations - it becomes about tasks and things to complete. But when we think about the word expectation - it becomes about the possibilities. The dictionary defines expectation as a belief that someone will or should achieve something. How powerful is that? Have you ever had anyone believe in you? It's game changing!
What if we, as leaders, reframed our language around setting expectations? What if we said - "I believe that you can achieve a successful project implementation by June" instead of "Complete the project by June." Try these phrases when sitting down with your team to develop the expectation for the year:
I have confidence that you will...
I trust that you can...
I look forward to your...
The simple act of believing in your team will move you closer to becoming a transformational leader. What do you expect? Don't be afraid to dream a little and believe a lot in the accomplishments of others.
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