Try development discussions instead of employee appraisals

I have a question for you – what is the difference between an appraisal and a development discussion?

If you answered that all appraisals are development discussions, but not all development discussions are appraisals, you would be correct.

One mistake that is commonly made in managing the development of team members is that the leader saves up all their feedback for a team member, and discusses things like their goals, their challenges and their ambitions only once a year – at the time of the “annual appraisal”. This yearly tradition is perceived by many as an opportunity to dump or unload everything that is on their chest.

In effect, the appraisal should not be a REview, it should be mostly a PREview. What do I mean by that?

If the leader is doing their job properly, all of the things that need to be REviewed are handled at the time they occur. One of my greatest role models and mentors – my upline in 3 different hotels/businesses – used to have a “jour fixe” (a fixed appointment) with each of his key players every month to discuss how things were going relative to their goals. It was an opportunity to check on milestones achieved, to review targets and to discuss strategies for each individual’s success – and of course to provide feedback as appropriate, over and above the feedback that was delivered in a timely fashion when things occurred.

That meant the annual appraisal could be used to summarise the discussions that had taken place during the year as a springboard for the year to come, setting goals and going over development opportunities.

So how should such a development discussion or performance PREview look?

Step 1: Introduction

Establish a positive atmosphere, remembering that part of this step is how you introduce the idea of the Development Discussion and the advance notice you give the team member for them to prepare. The success of the meeting will depend to a certain degree on the culture of communication and transparency that has been established in the team.

In hotels we are spoilt for choice as far as the location of the discussion is concerned – we can do it in our office if we have one, in their office if they have one, go for a coffee, choose an empty meeting room or wherever. A lot will depend on the leadership style of the person hosting the meeting.

Step 2: Past successes

Ask about the team member’s successes in the recent past:

“In your opinion, what were your main successes since our last conversation?”

“Where would you consider you have developed the most since our last meeting?”

“What have been some of the milestones you have achieved since our last discussion?”

Having heard the team member’s opinion, it is time to make comments and add impressions and observations about their success. Talking about these successes will lay a positive foundation for other parts of the discussion.

Step 3: Current strengths

Ask the team member about their strong points or skills and how these helped achieve their last milestones and the successes that have just been raised:

“What are your strong points, particularly as they relate to your current position?”

“What was the most enjoyable aspect of the work you’ve been focusing on?”

“What particular skills do you think you have that contributed to your recent successes?”

Add your opinion and observations.

Step 4: Future development and points of improvement

This is the really important part. Based on the success and the strong points of the team member, you finally discuss points of improvement and new objectives for the future. Start here by asking the employee for their opinion:

“Where do you think you need to focus for your personal development?”

“Where do you think you have room for improvement?”

“What skills would you like to focus on developing for the future?”

This part of the conversation is not limited to areas where the team member may be perceived as weak. It can be important to focus on new skills, or even where they team member may be strong in their current position, but will need to develop if they are to grow within the hotel or business.

Step 5: Setting objectives

Focus on expectations and objectives the team member needs to meet:

“Having reflected on your strong points and your areas of improvement, what are your personal development goals for the future?”

“Now that we have discussed the development areas where you would like to focus, what are the next logical steps needed to ensure you realise those goals?

The goals set here need to be concrete, with a particular focus on measureable outcomes and timelines. If they are not concrete then these goals become voluntary.

It is also important to remember that these are development discussions and therefore the environment needs to be one of dialogue. The person leading the Development Discussion asks the questions and then adds their opinion after the team member has answered with their insights.

If we can conduct these in such a way that the team member is able to identify all the points we wish to discuss, it is far more powerful than if they are told what they are!

The good news about all this is that research has shown that by focusing on “developing others,” and “communication” competencies, managers can increase their overall leadership effectiveness by 50-60 percent.

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