We just completed our quarterly review process. Yes, I know that quarterly reviews sound crazy, but for our size company it is important to understand the organization on a regular basis. We look at the strengths and weaknesses of our individuals, how the teams work and for any trends across the organization that might need to be corrected.
Results of the reviews drive changes to the structure of the organization, processes and potentially role changes. For instance we started a Monday morning meeting to address the issue of communication that was a consistent trend from one quarter to the next and recently added speaking roles to help individuals practice client communications which is an integral part of our work.
While we often make some changes, we rarely look at how to change the individual (though I am not saying we don’t make staffing changes). Why you might ask?
I think one thing that companies do incorrectly with reviews is try to change people. Now don’t get me wrong, there are certain behaviors or performance that is unacceptable and the things that you can’t change might not be good for the organization in the long run. Having said that, I think it’s important for those in charge to understand their team members for who they are.
An individual that is not detail-oriented or good at spelling, is probably never going to inherit those attributes. But if that person performs well at 98% of the rest of their job requirements, is it wise to try to harp on those areas and force them to change or improve? We prefer to emphasize that which will help the person be successful.
Not detail-oriented? Make sure the work is going through proper review and they are not rushing.
Bad at scope? Marry them to a resource that is good at understanding work effort and setting deadlines.
Now I don’t expect everyone to have this same philosophy – but our work involves understanding people for who they are and what makes them click. We have found this management style helps us to successfully run the company and use our resources most effectively. I also believe this might be the secret to saving many a marriage, but that’s a completely different blog posting.
