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Bernard Marr

Bernard Marr is a world-renowned futurist, influencer and thought leader in the fields of business and technology, with a passion for using technology for the good of humanity. He is a best-selling author of over 20 books, writes a regular column for Forbes and advises and coaches many of the world’s best-known organisations. He has a combined following of 4 million people across his social media channels and newsletters and was ranked by LinkedIn as one of the top 5 business influencers in the world.

Bernard’s latest books are ‘Future Skills’, ‘The Future Internet’, ‘Business Trends in Practice’ and ‘Generative AI in Practice’.

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Bernard Marr ist ein weltbekannter Futurist, Influencer und Vordenker in den Bereichen Wirtschaft und Technologie mit einer Leidenschaft für den Einsatz von Technologie zum Wohle der Menschheit. Er ist Bestsellerautor von 20 Büchern, schreibt eine regelmäßige Kolumne für Forbes und berät und coacht viele der weltweit bekanntesten Organisationen. Er hat über 2 Millionen Social-Media-Follower, 1 Million Newsletter-Abonnenten und wurde von LinkedIn als einer der Top-5-Business-Influencer der Welt und von Xing als Top Mind 2021 ausgezeichnet.

Bernards neueste Bücher sind ‘Künstliche Intelligenz im Unternehmen: Innovative Anwendungen in 50 Erfolgreichen Unternehmen’

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The 7 Biggest Performance Review Mistakes You Must Avoid

28 April 2022

Performance reviews can be really productive or really poor. Learn how to drive high performance by avoiding these 7 review mistakes.

The 7 Biggest Performance Review Mistakes You Must Avoid | Bernard Marr

When properly designed and implemented, performance management review processes can help organizations monitor and improve their strategic execution so they can achieve better results.

In my work as a business consultant and performance management expert, I have seen some really good and some truly poor performance review routines at many of the world’s best-known brands and governments.

If you want to improve your performance reviews, here are 7 mistakes to avoid:

1. Not holding reviews frequently enough.

One of the biggest and most common problems I see is that companies aren’t reviewing their team members’ performance on a regular basis.

Frequent conversations about individual performance – as often as quarterly or even monthly – are far more effective than trying to pack everything into one annual review. More frequent reviews also ensure the employee isn't blindsided by negative feedback. They've been checking in with their manager on a regular basis so they have a better sense of where they stand and how they’re progressing toward reaching their goals.

2. Making reviews one-way evaluations.

The traditional model for performance reviews can make employees nervous or put them on the defensive. Instead of putting the employee in the line of fire and listing their faults, invite them to ask questions and make it a back-and-forth conversation. Help them understand why what they do matters and how their job fits into the organization so they can become more engaged.

3. Backward-facing reviews.

Even though the name "review" suggests looking back, the focus of every performance review should be the future. Instead of focusing solely on past accomplishments or failures, help employees understand how their upcoming goals are aligned with the strategic objectives of the company.

In many of the companies I work with, we have changed the name to “performance improvement meetings” or “performance preview meetings” to reflect this focus on the future.

4. Focusing on useless rating scales and performance data.

All scales and performance metrics have limitations. They can be used to guide discussions but should never be taken at face value. Put the numbers into context and don't make them the focus of the conversation.

5. Focusing too much on the negative.

It's understandable when this happens, but it's important to celebrate past successes just as much as identify places for improvement and talk about future challenges.

6. Make performance review a “tick box” exercise.

There’s nothing worse than a performance review that leaves the employee feeling like they haven’t received any useful feedback. Reviews should be genuinely valuable to both parties, not just a task that gets checked off a list once a year.

7. Negotiating goals that are too easy to achieve.

Instead of agreeing to ambitious performance goals that will push everyone forward and help individuals thrive, some performance reviews result in wimpy goals that no one feels inspired by. Set achievable goals, but still feel like a stretch for the employee, to help them grow in their role and contribute to the overall organization in a bigger way.

Performance reviews can be challenging on both sides – but these tips can help lift some of the pressure and create positive, productive conversations that motivate employees and drive high performance.

Business Trends In Practice | Bernard Marr
Business Trends In Practice | Bernard Marr

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Bernard Marr is a world-renowned futurist, influencer and thought leader in the fields of business and technology, with a passion for using technology for the good of humanity.

He is a best-selling author of over 20 books, writes a regular column for Forbes and advises and coaches many of the world’s best-known organisations.

He has a combined following of 4 million people across his social media channels and newsletters and was ranked by LinkedIn as one of the top 5 business influencers in the world.

Bernard’s latest book is ‘Generative AI in Practice’.

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