Letter from the Editor

For fun, do a quick straw poll in your office. "Which do you prefer, dental work or performance evaluations?" 

If your organization is like most, then people are probably scheduling that elective root canal while you finish reading this article. And it's not just the recipients who dislike the process--managers are equally disenchanted.

Performance reviews, appraisals, evaluations--whatever you call them they are seen as time consuming, occasionally unnecessary and nearly always unpleasant. The root of the problem could stem from childhood trauma (will Mom believe me if I say the dog ate my report card?) or a track record of negative experiences in the workplace. Either way, over 78% of employees polled say that they don't look forward to performance evaluations. Not surprisingly, 67% of managers wish they could avoid them as well.

The good news is that there are many ways to make performance evaluations positive and fruitful experiences. One way is reframe this as a development tool, rather than as an evaluation. At Adventure Associates we commit to quarterly performance management discussions with each employee. New-hires meet with us monthly for the first six months. This is in addition to annual salary/performance review and ongoing daily feedback. There are few "surprises" and we generally feel as though we're all on the same page.

In this issue of Thrive, we'll be examining the various methods of conducting a performance evaluation or establishing a performance management process. Which is better: optimism or realism? Self-reviews or manager-reviews? Professional Development Plans or Evaluations? The carrot or the stick?

Most importantly, we'll look at how your organization can leverage performance evalutions to increase productivity and morale rather than destroy it.