Performance Reviews ..in 10 Minutes

An Interesting Tip of Day from The Harvard Business Review...

I used to dread the performance review time of year..... this would make the process so much simpler, and I'd say more effective too

Performance Reviews Can Take as Little as 10 Minutes

There's growing evidence that conventional performance reviews are not working. One major issue is the time commitment they require, formal reviews just take too long. A faster, but still effective, method is the 10-minute "Tough Love Review":

• Create a spreadsheet with two columns: "Tough," a few phrases about where the employee is falling short, and "Love," a few phrases about what she's doing well.

• During the review, explain that your goal is to identify both positive traits and areas for improvement. Tailor your message to show that the review is about helping the employee. Then ask the employee how he prefers feedback: Kind and nurturing? Pointed and direct? Use his answer to decide whether to start with "Tough" or "Love."

• After talking through the points on your spreadsheet, use the last few minutes to let the employee respond to what you've said.