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31 Days to Becoming a Better Leader
Systems
Day #25: Evaluations
Multi-Ethnic Group of People and Evaluation Concept
If you are building a culture where honest expectations are communicated and peer accountability is the norm, then the group will address poor performance and attitudes.
–Henry Cloud
Evaluations are how we examine the progress or value of a program or activity and/or job performance. Frequent evaluations help to determine whether or not we leaders and our teams are on track for a predetermined objective.
Evaluations serve many purposes and show up in many forms. The leader must decide what to evaluate and the meaning of that evaluation. Once the evaluation is done, then the important decision is what to do with the data.
What to evaluate:
- Team or board performance – self-evaluation is very revealing and mostly productive.
- Employee performance – the annual review is destructive and dysfunctional. Establish continuing evaluations.
- Yourself – get a peer group to provide you with feedback and not just a group of “yes” people.
- A strategic plan or any plan.
- Any process, event, performance, or individual.
First, the leader decides:
- What to evaluate.
- How often to evaluate.
- Why the evaluation is necessary.
- Who does the evaluating.
- How the data will be used.
- The process used in the evaluation.
- The rules of conduct in the evaluation – is criticism expected?
Here’s a simple format for use in group evaluations of themselves, events, plans, or activities:
- Affirmation and Measuring the Good – What did we do well? or What went well? (What to KEEP.)
- Identifying the Underperforming Areas or Activities – What needs changing? or What needs upgrading? (What to STOP.)
- New Things to Consider – Brainstorming things or activities we didn’t utilize before (What to START).
Next: Day #26 – Hiring Staff and Consultants
