Question

After reading the article, think about your last performance evaluation in janitorial services or a school-related evaluation. In your initial post, describe this evaluation. How did you feel walking out of that meeting with your manager or professor? Was it meaningful and effective? Did you have a clear understanding of your performance? Did you understand your goals and objectives?
Next, consider the “new keys to success” discussed in the article. Address the following additional questions in your initial post: Could your evaluation have been made clearer to you? Which “keys to success” would have assisted in your situation? Why?

Answer 1

In responding to your peers, compare and contrast the various uses or potential uses of the “keys to success.”

Classmates:

First, I would like to apologize for the extremely late posting. It’s ironic that evaluations are the topic this week because we are right in the middle of this for 2017 performance along with inventories. It’s been a week of 10+ hour days along with daily commute times of 3+ hours. Glad it over until Monday!

I work in retail field support which is 100% sales and profit driven. Up to 2017, our performance process was two tiered so managers were evaluated on four drivers of sales and profits and how they perform (observation) in driving the three core values of our company. The ratings on these key metrics were populated into a 12 box to get the overall success rating. Next, you would complete a section with strengths and opportunities so you could talk about behaviors and ways to use your strengths to better your team or ways to overcome opportunities. Our current system is strictly numbers based on 7 key metrics eliminating the core values and behaviors (2017 fiscal year going forward).

My last evaluation was a 1:1 with the Vice President of Operations/Sales for our area. My division missed sales targets by 5% but we made targets for sales margins, workers comp claims, payroll, shrink, controllable profit and operating income. Overall, it was a good review because overall performance was good. Leaving the meeting, I thought about how horrible our new system of evaluation was because we removed the person from the equation. What am I really good at past my own thinking? There have been many times in my career where my boss, during the evaluation process, has pointed out a strength that I didn’t see 100% for myself. My thinking on some of these things was mediocre. What can I do for professional development? I often times used identified opportunities to better myself as a leader through self-education or taking a class. There is no mistaking the 2018 goals and objectives – make the targets and for 2017 I clearly understand my performance. However, I’m confused about the deletion of the core values as we hear reference during conference calls, meetings and as a signature tag on every corporate email.

The flip side of this is we use a sales tracking system in our stores where employees get weekly and monthly “evaluations” from their managers. They take about 5 minutes per person where the manager discusses last week’s individual and overall store results, how that employee contributed to the team’s efforts and the things they need to stop, start or continue to drive results. The manager is to praise the good and coach for improvement. The year-end evaluation is a mirror of the weekly and monthly. This is a great process because there are never any surprises when the year closes – every employee knows how they have performed and most strive for improvement throughout the year