Bob Sutton's recent blog post about reviews got me thinking about reviews. Everyone seems to have a take on reviews. Some of us hate reviews. Some of us view them as a necessary tool for growth. I don't know if anyone actually loves reviews?
At any rate, I ended up talking with my colleague Mandy about reviews, and the conversation took an interesting turn. We ended up talking about how much we've learned from giving reviews. Most of the research and conversation focuses on the people being reviewed, but I had not thought about how putting together and delivering a review is a learning process. Since I'm pressed for time, I need some more time to think through this and put together a more coherent post about that process.
One topic that often comes up around the time Associates get their reviews is how reviews contribute to culture. Often, there is at least one Associate who claims that confidential feedback for reviews gives folks incentive to not give each other open and honest feedback throughout the year. My response to this is to point out that reviews shouldn't contain surprises. They are a way to see the feedback you've gotten throughout the year in one place and talk about how feedback relates to the Guiding Principles.
What do you think of my response? Most people don't find it very satisfying. How do you see the review process contributing to culture?
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