Evaluating your team

As a manager I have the duty - maybe even the honor - of evaluating the people who work with and for me.  It's my role to try to further their development and to acknowledge the good work they've done and the areas where they can grow.  Here's how I look at a person on my team.

1.  Are they right for the company?  Does this person "fit" in the culture of the organization.  Let's ignore for a minute the responsibilities and roles.  Does the person have the cultural characteristics of the organization and will he or she be a good "fit" over time?  If not, can the areas of concern be modified or changed?

2.  Are they right for their role?  Is the person in the right role - one which hopefully capitalizes on their strengths but leaves enough room for personal growth.  Are they delivering at the expected level within the role, and what avenues of growth exist?

3.  When do they "top out" in the role they are in?  Many people achieve deep competency in a role and prefer not to move out of the role into a newer, more challenging role.  That's OK if they are determined to stay in the role - it can mean career stagnation - but some people choose this.  Otherwise, what's next for the person who has achieved and demonstrated competency in their existing role and responsibilities?

4.  How much can you stretch?  I like to see people move beyond their comfort and existing competencies to grow.  How flexible is the individual and how willing to take on something very new and possibly unknown to them?

5.  How do others interact with this person?  I may manage people, but other people in the organization interact in a hundred different ways with that person every day.  What's the interaction like?  Do people actively seek out the person for advice and leadership, or do they avoid the person and develop work-arounds?

6.  If the role was open today, would I hire this person for this role?  If so, would I be happy in the choice?

7.  What skills/competencies does the individual need, regardless of whether or not the firm needs the person to have those skills?  We owe it to everyone we work with to help them achieve everything they can achieve.  Rather than look narrowly at an individual and their ability to contribute to our firm, we need to examine the skills and capabilities they'll need for success within our firm or in another firm and help them get those skills.

8.  How can we devise measurable objectives that don't become Pavlovian treats to measure improvements?  This is a catch-22.  I know several people in other firms that are slaves to their MBOs.  They WILL achieve those MBOs at any cost to the firm or rational thought.  However, it is important to establish reasonable, measurable goals and milestones to help a person grow and achieve the goals set out as part of an evaluation.

9.  Ask them what I can do to help them more effectively.  Every manager is inadequate in their own way, but the inadequacies are usually experienced differently by different individuals.  Some people want more leadership, some less.  Some want more hand holding and direction, some less.  Some want specific instructions and timeframes.  Some want general guidelines.  What a good manager needs to understand is how to tailor his or her management style to the needs and requirements of the people around him (or her).

10.  Hold people accountable to the outcomes of the evaluation.  If there are discrete steps in the evaluation, hold both parties accountable to the successful completion of those steps.

Well, I'm sure I've violated about 25 HR restrictions, but that's the way I go about it.  What are your thoughts or comments?

Comments

[Keyur]

Hi,

I really enjoy all the articles you post. Can you also write something about writing self assessment and the best formats you think you came across.

[Kent Blumberg]

This is a great list - very helpful. Thanks.

[bob handwerk]

Your article was like preaching to the choir: I've stressed "job fit" and the use of our assessment tool THe PRofile XT on my blog as the intitial step in hiring the right people ... hope to read more of what you have to say int he future.