The employee was shocked. She did not understand why she had received a poor performance review when she sincerely believed she had tried so hard and had done so much to service the other employees. I tried my best to explain why I had given her a negative review, but to no avail. She remained terribly upset. Through tears, she kept saying that she did not understand.
I learned a valuable lesson that day. She was upset because I had blindsided her. I realized that I had not been giving her regular feedback. I relied on myself and others to fill the gaps in processes that she left undone, without confronting the poor performance. This left her completely surprised. I had also lost the opportunity to correct the issue long before the review. This would have saved a lot of wasted time and effort on my part and the other team members. I was not prepared or equipped to provide a productive performance review.
Without proper preparation, giving a performance review can be as nerve-racking as receiving one. Laying the groundwork beforehand is key. A good manager wants to provide encouraging feedback while pointing out areas where an employee can improve. A poor manager will use this time to berate or punish an employee.
