Appraisal time

What a week! I feel like Jack Karouac's book title, "On the Road", sounds. I've been "on the road" conducting training for line managers at various locations.

We're moving into the beloved performance appraisal cycle at work, and managers are suddenly feeling the crunch of getting employee performance appraisals done!

Many of those in my classes are "working managers". This means they also do the work they supervise others doing. Of course, guess where they spend most of their time and attention during the year! Right! And they forget to pay attention to the big picture.

When appraisal crunch time comes around, I can see the panic in their eyes as they scamble in a dither to get organized. Then I hear all the excuses why they don't do them or don't want to do them...

"I've go to get the work out! I don't have time for this!"
"I haven't spoken with her about her performance, since I can't remember when. So what am I going to write?"
"I haven't given her an appraisal in three years. I'm going to start now?"
"His performance was pretty raunchy last year, but his previous boss appraised him as Outstanding. So I'm supposed to be the bad guy? Sheesh!"
"I've go a weak heart and a bad back. What if she yells at me?"

Actually, I think that a number of them are faced with the existential crisis of having to leap into the "Content Void". They need to find something meaningful to say when they haven't paid attention and have little or nothing to say. Then they wrack their brains looking for useful content.

They report that when they finally have something to share, they now have to face the brunt of employee reactions--and some can get a little vocal and emotional--when they learn their bosses didn't think they were as hot as they thought they were.

But it's fun to work with managers during this time; they're putty in my hands. And that's where we get some real energy going. They drop their guard and offer you some real reactions and questions, especially "How do I handle..." type dilemmas!

As I said, it's great fun, I must admit, especially since I work in the mode of a management consultant/trainer.

I get 'em geared up, equipped and ready to go. After the class, they go back to their offices to do the hard work of applying the skills they learned in class.

And, me? Well, I go and get coffee.

I'm gearing up now for an "on the road" reprieve--drum roll please: "The Son of, 'On the Road'".

This afternoon, I'm teaching a management course on how to identify and to set performance expectations. This is the basis of next year's performance appraisals. This'll be a more relaxed class, because it's future oriented, rather than "appraisals", which is oriented to the previous year. They're being prepped for next year, rather than being held accountable for the previous year.

Although I'm addressing them as managers appraising others, I also hope they listen as employees, who will be appraised by others.

"So, shall we get on the road?"
"Yes, let's"
"To Oz?"
"To Oz!"

Joe