032: Jam Session Scenarios: Performance Reviews

In this first episode of a new series called “Jam Session Scenarios”, I sit with a panel of seasoned leaders – Ted Cowles, Dean DiGiacomo, and Matt Melloy. We review a few common scenarios, and a few twists and turns, as it relates to performance reviews.

Key Takeaways:

  • Align with each employee on the definition of ‘achieves’ and ‘exceeds’
  • Remind employees ‘achieves’ is a great mark! Too often our employees feel ‘achieves’ is not doing well in the role 
  • Benchmark performance and be consistent across all your employees by providing specific examples of how to achieve/exceed
  • There should be no surprises if you’re having continuous coaching and feedback discussions throughout the year
  • Using high-performing employees as benchmarks is a delicate balance  
  • Keep an open mind – there could be times where you were provided with concrete examples that you may have missed or forgotten about that justifies a higher rating

About the host, Rob Fonte

Rob Fonte is the founder and President of Sarto Leadership Group, whose reputation has been built on being a transformational leader and inspirational coach with a passion for developing others. His twenty-year career spans across multiple disciplines including leading award-winning sales teams. Rob is an academically trained Executive Coach certified by The University of Texas and the International Coach Federation.