Evaluating Team Members as a PM

An ideal employee performance review leaves the team member feeling motivated, clear on their path forward, and confident in your leadership. What helps create that outcome?

Here are four steps to help turn performance reviews into a powerful cycle for accelerating your team’s performance and growth.

Step 1: Beginning of the cycle: Lay the foundation

Successful reviews contain no surprises. They are the natural conclusion to a cycle that starts with clear expectations and is supported by your continuous coaching and feedback prior to the review.

• Set expectations and goals: Collaborate with each team member at the start of the cycle to set clear goals and define what success looks like in their role.
• Track progress on goals: Check in frequently to discuss progress toward goals and handle any challenges that arise.
• Give coaching and feedback along the way: Coaching and feedback are most effective when they are timely, so address issues and celebrate wins as they happen.

Step 2: Before the review: Thoughtful preparation

Your preparation is key to a productive review. Take time to get the full picture of your team member’s performance.

• Get perspectives beyond your own: Gather feedback from peers, other departments, or even clients to deliver a well-rounded review on how the team member works, collaborates with others, and achieves goals.
• Ensure feedback is relevant: Is the feedback you plan to deliver directly aligned with the team member’s job responsibilities and goals? If not, consider leaving it out.
• Challenge your own assumptions: Before delivering feedback, take a moment to check your perspective. Are you letting a recent project overshadow a year's work? Are you applying the same rating scale consistently to everyone?
• Explain the process: Be transparent with your team members about how the review process works. This will help them prepare to discuss their performance, challenges, and opportunities, so they can actively contribute to the conversation.

Step 3: During the review: A two-way conversation

The review meeting is more than just a look back; it's a launchpad for the future. This is how to transform a simple performance summary into a productive, two-way conversation that builds a collaborative plan for what's next.

• Encourage a two-way dialogue: Spark a conversation by asking open-ended questions like, "What achievement are you most proud of from this cycle?" Then, truly listen. Pausing allows the team member to respond to feedback and share their own insights, which might give you a new perspective to consider.
• Ground your feedback in facts: Use specific, evidence-based examples to support your assessments. This isn't just about identifying what needs to change; it's also about reinforcing what they should continue doing. This gives the team member a broader understanding of how to achieve high performance.
• Offer growth opportunities: Think of performance reviews as a chance to look forward. Talk with team members about how they'd like to grow. Help them find a mentor, take on a visible, high-impact project, or learn a new skill. To do this fairly, be sure you invest in the future of each team member. It's a great way to help them reach their full potential.
• Summarize and confirm next steps: Leave the meeting with clarity and alignment. Summarize the key takeaways and confirm the action plan you've built together. Simple questions like, “What support do you need from me to be successful?”, and "What questions do you have about our plan?" ensures you both leave the conversation on the same page, ready for the months ahead.

Step 4: After the review: Continuing the momentum

The review conversation doesn't end when the meeting is over. By revisiting the key topics after the meeting, you can transform a single conversation into a cycle of continuous growth.

• Finalize and share documentation: Promptly complete and share any official review paperwork, clearly outlining the goals and development plans you discussed. This provides the team member with a tangible guide for the coming months and reinforces the path you created together.
• Continue the conversation: Use your regular check-ins as an opportunity to follow up on goals, discuss progress, and offer continuous support. This helps turn the review’s insights into everyday action.
• Commit to their development: Show you are invested by following through on the plans you've created to help every team member grow. Your commitment to their growth is a powerful way to help them unlock their full potential.