Setting up successful annual performance conversations

Setting up successful annual performance conversations with a coaching approach

The change of season from Autumn to Winter brings the cold. And the rain and dark nights here in the Southern parts of Australia. Furthermore, it’s also about this time that organisations enter the performance review season.

But it doesn’t have to be all doom and gloom for performance conversations this year. Especially if you’ve implemented our ideas from last year!

At Open Door we offer our most popular set of Coaching Cafes to help you coach your team to set up and deliver successful conversations this year. And as always, they are delivered free of charge. With ICF CCEU’s attached for your ongoing professional development.

This Coaching Café kicks off with our key tips to set the conversations up for success. And you can register for the series.

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Change your mindset

^{Tip 1} is change your mindset. The annual performance review season means trying to schedule in appointments with the team. Furthermore, meeting the demands from HR Managers to submit reviews by deadlines. There’s a collective ‘groan’ around the office. Thinking about how the reviews is a requirement on top of everything else that we must do. In addition, for many people, assisting managers to have good quality conversations.

With this in mind, our first tip is: change your mindset. We think about these conversations with a growth mindset. A chance to reflect, grow and develop people. In addition, an opportunity to shift, lift and raise performance. That mindset sets the conversation up in a positive way. And the research supports a strengths-based approach. Just take a look at the statistics.

Brandon Rigoni and Jim Asplund, ‘Global Study: ROI for Strengths-Based Development’, 2016.https://www.gallup.com/workplace/236288/global-study-roi-strengths-based-development.aspx

Move away from annual conversations

^{Tip 2} Moving away from annual conversations is our tip 2. It will come as no surprise that performance conversations should not be just a once-off event. Yet we can’t believe how much focus is put on the annual event. Rather, think about the performance conversation an opportunity chance to summarise the discussions that have been held throughout the year. A rolling series of discussions tells people that they are valued. And addresses any changes that are needed. With this in mind, the annual discussion becomes a straight-forward event. Importantly, an event that is focused on the person, not the process.

We focus on this in our Coaching for Performance Conversations workshops.

Give it the focus it deserves

^{Tip 3} An obvious tip 3 is give the conversation the focus it deserves. Importantly, this means, give the person the focus they deserve. Not just the process. In addition, preparing. Furthermore, scheduling the time and not re-scheduling the meeting. In addition, reflection and summarizing the points of the conversation. Importantly, the focus needs to come from the team member AND the manager, not just one or the other.

Employee’s responsibility

^{Tip 4}We are convinced that tip number 4 is very important: the employee needs to take responsibility. This means reflecting. Furthermore, capturing achievements, and what you are most proud of. It means coming to the meeting prepared to discuss your success and the challenges. In addition, how you have overcome those challenges. You cannot just leave it to your manager to ‘remember’. You need to take responsibility. It’s your review.

Use a coaching approach

^{Tip 5}There is a lot we can do to coach our managers and team members to have successful annual performance conversations. This is where coaching really comes in handy. Tip 5 is using great coaching questions, like some of the ones featured in our Leader as Coach program. This is about performance conversations that lead people to feel proud and energised about their work. Rather than dreading this time of year.

At Open Door we want you to get on the front foot. And we know a coaching approach really works for the annual performance conversation.

Whether you are involved in developing annual performance systems. Or perhaps coaching managers. Alternatively, a manager embarking on the performance season. In addition, getting yourself ready for your own performance review.

A coaching approach is something we are all going to benefit from. And you can listen to the recording to hear all the great questions to set the conversations up for success.

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