Annual reviews! Friend or foe? I say friend!
Early in my career, my former employer (Borshoff) made annual reviews an important priority. These conversations shaped, pushed and encouraged me in significant ways. I'm thankful these annual conversations continue for me today at Fishhook.
However, I know many churches and other organizations avoid them. Others do them, but they are dreaded (by the employee and the superviser alike).
This shouldn't be! More important than the way you communicate, encourage and motivate the masses (your congregation and community) is the way you communicate with your staff team.
Recently we held our annual reviews - or annual discussions, as I like to call them - with each Fishhooker. These are vital conversations in the life of our team and company. It's an intentional time when each of us can reflect, ponder, pray and dream.
Within these hour-long (give or take a few minutes) sessions, we celebrate wins, openly review challenges, consider growth and encourage/affirm each person. These conversations set the tone and build the foundation for all the other work and communicating we do.
What do our annual review discussions involve?
- A cup of coffee at a comfortable local coffee shop
- Prayer time together
- Preparation and then open discussion by both the supervisor and the team member. Both folks review and answer the following questions about the team member. Then, sharing our responses to each of these questions drives the discussion. Here are the questions we work through:
- How are you doing?
- Where are you winning? (Consider the entire past 12 months.)
- Are you under-challenged, appropriately challenged or dangerously over-challenged?
- What are your challenges?
- What have you done or what are you doing about challenges?
- How can I (Fishhook) help you with challenges?
- What would you like to be different for you one year from now?
- What would you like to be different from me as your supervisor (or Fishhook) one year from now?
- What professional development, conference or retreat would you like to pursue this coming year?
- How can I pray for you?
- No surprises. Our goal is to discuss challenges or growth issues all throughout the year with team members. So these annual discussions are just a continuation and review of items we are already working through.
- As much encouragement and affirmation as possible. But nothing fake or manufactured! It has to be genuine and heartfelt.
- A thank you via compensation. Our goal is to do something tangible with compensation to show appreciation, value and respect. Sometimes what we can do is bigger, sometimes smaller. This may be a raise, a one-time bonus or a new benefit or enhancement to benefits.
So what about you? Are annual reviews a friend or foe? What tips or thoughts would you add?
