SmartPulse — our weekly nonscientific reader poll in SmartBrief on Leadership — tracks feedback from more than 150,000 business leaders. We run the poll question each Tuesday in our e-newsletter.
Last week, we asked: How rigorous are you about delivering midyear reviews?
- We always provide midyear feedback to our people in a structured way, 41%
- We rarely provide midyear feedback unless there’s a performance issue, 24%
- Sometimes we provide midyear feedback, but it’s not always structured, 20%
- We never provide midyear feedback, 15%
How am I doing, boss? Many people are wondering that very thing, judging from these responses. If we’re going to say people are our No. 1 resource, we need to have a midyear review. I encourage you to take the time to document your team’s performance and deliver that feedback. If things aren’t going well, it gives them an opportunity to make changes before they get crushed at year-end review (and bonus time). If they’re doing great, it affirms that fact and keeps them from looking elsewhere for employment where they feel their skills are more valued. Take the time and deliver the feedback. Only good things can come from doing so.
Mike Figliuolo is managing director of ThoughtLeaders and author of “One Piece of Paper.”