I’m going to share a couple of tips on doing annual reviews. We’ve done training on this at Service Express for all our leaders, and I love sitting in on those sessions. I share insights from my career, but I also learn a lot from our leaders, who are so thoughtful about this topic.
One key takeaway from the training is the importance of keeping a file on each team member throughout the year. It can be a paper file or an electronic one—whatever works best for you. In this file, track key wins, accomplishments and things they’ve done well. Also, include coaching opportunities and areas where they can grow.
This does two things. First, it keeps you organized. Second, it helps you avoid recency bias. You don’t want to evaluate someone based only on the last month or quarter—you want to reflect on their entire year.
Remember, an annual review should be a pretty boring conversation in the sense that there shouldn’t be any surprises. It should simply be a summary of the conversations and feedback you’ve given throughout the year. Keeping a file will help you stay on track and ensure a fair, well-rounded review.
Let me know how this works for you!
