Pragmatic Thinking’s Darren Hill gives tips on how to nail your performance review

THE middle of the year means that dreaded chat with your boss. But if you want pay rises and promotions it’s best to avoid these rookie mistakes.

Mistakes you’re making in your review

IF YOUR workplace is like hundreds of others around the country — it’s that dreaded time again.

The annual or midyear performance review can range from a quick chat to a structured meeting, and is often your chance to speak up on everything from pay rises to promotions.

Pragmatic Thinking co-founder and behavioural scientist Darren Hill said despite their frequency, the process if often dreaded mainly because it’s so poorly handled by managers and staff.

“The general reaction is that if they’re not disliked, they’re loathed,” he said. “People see them as a necessary evil and at worst their least liked part of job. Most managers detest the process as well.”

But with no way around them, here’s his tips on how to avoid the most common mistakes people make at their performance reviews:

Mistake # 1 — Leaving everything up to the boss

Mr Hill said a major faux-pas most managers make is leaving all performance-related feedback, pay rises and talk of promotions until the annual review and lumping them all in together in a chat designed to cover everything but actually covering nothing well.

Instead, the best reviews occur when both parties are invested in the conversation.

“Instead of sitting back and hating the process, jump in and take control of your end. Look at this hour of your manger’s time as an opportunity to discuss your career and some key projects. Start the process by turning up well prepared and with a proactive intent; you’ll get much better results if you do.”

Behavioural scientist Darren Hill said conversations about pay are best kept to a separate discussion.

How you attack it depends on how your company handles the process. If it’s designed to talk about working conditions and pay — tell them what you want. Your manager can’t help you if they don’t know. It’s also a good way of ensuring your goals are in writing if your boss happens to move on.

But while it’s tempting to blurt out everything you want at once, Mr Hill said it’s actually better for employees to separate conversations about pay and working conditions from the review entirely and schedule another meeting to discuss these things.

“I actually think it’s a bad strategy to ask for a pay rise at a performance review. You really should be putting that into a secondary request rather than just lumping it in as a process otherwise the really important stuff can get lost in the process,” he said.

If you’re primed for a fight, your review probably won’t be the most effective conversation.

Mistake # 2 — Whining about everything

Mr Hill said when it comes to making things happen, “attitude trumps policy every single time.”

Having a professional attitude with clear goals can mean the difference between getting what you want and not. There’s no sense sulking, getting angry or dwelling on the past.

“The most cumbersome performance review can turn into a worthwhile discussion, yet the most transparent, fair system can quickly turn into WWIII if the parties decide war is inevitable. Approaching the process in the right energy state; you’ll be amazed at what a different conversation might occur,” he said.

Mistake # 3 — Getting bogged down in the detail

Reviews are all about the big picture — don’t get bogged down in detail over who should empty the dishwasher and what time exactly you sent that email.

Mr Hill said given you might only get the chance to sit down with your boss once or twice a year, keep things focused on the wider context.

Don’t get bogged down in minor details, use your review to think about the big picture.

Mistake # 4 — Focusing on the negatives

Bring me solutions, not problems, is a common business mantra for good reason. Mr Hill said most managers will tell you one of their biggest bugbears is employees who bring problems to the table.

“Sure, this is a good time to bring up things that aren’t working or are holding you back in your work, but rather than dump them on your boss, give them your ideas on fixing the problems at the same time. Again, this isn’t just a process for your boss alone, the best performance reviews are when responsibility is shared.”

Mistake # 5 — Assuming you’re on the same page

Bad lines of communication are an unfortunate reality for plenty of businesses. If you’re laying out a new strategy in your review make sure you’re clear on what success looks like. That way, you won’t go off on a tangent and waste your time.

“Generally [mistakes happen] because we assumed understanding rather than checked. Especially on the big stuff — big projects and strategy — we need to reflect our approach back to the boss to ensure it’s in keeping with what they had in mind. It’ll save you a lot of time and effort if you do.”

Mr Hill said if you want more work life balance, schedule a separate interview and make a case.

What about the managers?

Mr Hill said all the managers out there should take note the biggest mistake they can make is focusing on the past rather than the future. Treat it like a ‘preview’ rather than a ‘review’ he said — no one wants to be graded like a school report card.

“Most performance reviews make people happy or sad but actually don’t make them any better at their job. That’s the major issue — they should be previews rather than reviews”

The other common mistake made by managers is falling into the “lazy trap” of giving feedback only at review time.

“In high performing cultures feedback is a daily process. When people are doing things well immediacy in feedback is really important whether it’s positive or negative. Either way the closer to the event the feedback is attached the more effective the behaviour modification is.”

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Originally published as Pragmatic Thinking’s Darren Hill gives tips on how to nail your performance review