The Management Tip of the Day from Harvard Business Review

November 5, 2015 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: When many employees already get feedback regularly, 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. Adapted from “Tough Love Performance Reviews, in 10 Minutes,” by Mona Patel.

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