Reason #9 — Performance reviews either don’t occur, or are ineffective.

What to do?

Ah, the dreaded ‘annual appraisal.’ Can’t find too many people who really love them, can you? Even the best ones can be painful to give or receive.

But – people need to know how they are doing, right?  When your child does something stupendous, you don’t wait a year to tell them how proud you are, do you? Employees (and especially salespeople) need feedback from their leaders. Given the choice (and you do have a choice), opt for immediate, on-the-spot feedback about how they’re performing.

Keep your comments simple and action-oriented. Focus on needed development and continuous improvement. Address both results AND behavior. Make ‘performance reviews’ an ongoing process, not an event. Work them into your ongoing 1:1’s.

Coach, don’t just inspect. If you don’t know how to coach (many do not), take the time to learn; it is a skill you need to have. If you are a manager coaching salespeople, take a look at Keith Rosen’s book ‘Coaching Sales People Into Sales Champions – A Tactical Playbook for Managers and Executives.’ It is clear, impactful, and thorough.