Appraisal Training
Absolutely fundamental ..... a basic building-block
All those quips about 'any path will do' (when you don't know where you are going) are right!
Is the place you work an 'organisation' if people are not organised?
What does it take to 'be organised'?
Everybody involved must know what they are supposed to be doing, and the total contribution should add up to the overall goal.
We all crave feedback - especially positive appreciation - but if all the feedback is always positive, we stop believing it..... so there has to be a system to review each person's performance against previously defined goals or standards .... that is called
APPRAISAL
For some reason, most British managers find it difficult to sit down and undertake a candid discussion about the person they are talking to - so, the key is to use a framework - agree the top priorities in the individual's job, define how you will know if it has been done successfully or not, and agree when it would be reasonable to review it.
Then the Appraisal becomes a review of those plans.
If the plans have been 'stretching' (ie some should be difficult), then a discussion about Why some were achieved and some not.
Do not accept the easy traps that all of the success is due to luck, or that the failings have been because of changed circumstances - this is a personal appraisal, you must talk about the person!
Which leads to Training needs -
Most people will happily book themselves onto courses or conferences on topics they are already good at - the comfort zone - and will find very good reasons for NOT going to any event on a subject they really need.
The Appraiser must confront this - "Why have you never gone on any training on ....."
Do NOT leave Appraisal to an annual event. That gives the message that this is a piece of bureaucracy that you do not really believe in / it is something you have to do for HR / you do not really care about the performance of the people you are leading.
You like it when your boss talks with you about you, especially if that includes some recognition of achievement - do the same to your team!!
And if those carefully crafted Goals become irrelvant before the Appraisal interview - it is your fault - you should have changed them when the circumstances changed.
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