Mid-year is usually a time of wrapping up the books, writing up the reports, and preparing for the year ahead.

In many companies, it’s also the time for performance review conversations between leaders and team members, where they chat all things KPIs, outcomes achieved, what’s working well, what needs to be improved, and so on.

Having these conversations can be challenging, particularly when you need to reflect on a whole year (and as a leader, you need to reflect on multiple people), and if there are tough topics to tackle, like poor performance.

So here are our top tips on having an effective performance conversation.

1. Outcomes focus

Like all communication, you need to focus on the outcome you want to achieve from your conversation. What do you want the person to know, feel, and do as a result of the conversation? For example, maybe you want them to feel valued or inspired, or you want them to change the way they’re doing a particular task. 

Being clear on your outcomes will help you stay focused on the end goal during the conversation, and will also help with your preparation.


2. Be prepared

There’s nothing worse than going into a performance conversation and the leader hasn’t prepared a thing and just wants to ‘have a chat’. The team member has likely prepared, and might be feeling nervous or excited about having the conversation, only to be let down by their leader.

So being prepared shows you care about the person and the value of the conversation.

It also helps you stay on track and achieve your outcomes. In preparing for the conversation, make sure you have a structure for the conversation, along with tangible examples of the person’s performance - both what they’ve done well, and where you can see opportunities for improvement. Having a structure helps you set the scene for the conversation and explain to the person what you’d like to cover. The examples mean you have facts on hand to back-up your thoughts on their performance.

3. Have a curious mind

Remember that your perspective on performance and the other person’s perspective can be two very different things! Often the truth lies somewhere in the middle. So go into the conversation with a curious mind, remembering your perspective of the facts might differ to theirs. You can ask questions like, “In this situation, it felt like … what do you think?”.  There is every possibility there is extra information that you’re unaware of, and this is a great way to get more perspective.

4. Focus on goals, not just KPIs

Each team member should have a set of goals they’ve been working toward, and your conversation should centre around those. The goals should be linked not only to the responsibilities of the role they’re in, but also to their own ongoing development. So during the conversation, reflect on the person’s goals from the previous year and their progress toward achieving them. You can then celebrate what has been achieved, find out what the roadblocks have been where they haven’t been achieved, and plan revised goals for the next six months.

5. Coach, don’t tell

Part of the performance conversation is planning for the future. Whether the person has been performing exceptionally well, poorly, or anywhere in between, there are opportunities to grow. But the person needs to take ownership of those opportunities if they’re to take advantage of them. So instead of telling them, “This is what you need to do…”, invite them to co-create the plan with you. Ask questions like, “What do you think you need to do to achieve your goals?”. You then become a sounding board and advisor, and they have investment in the plan

You could also use our FREE personal brand narrative mini-workbook here to really identify and strengthen what you bring to the table - and what you could focus on in these performance conversations!