The Hindu Business Line : Questions managers must ask

Most organisations have instituted performance appraisal and review feedback as a key people development process. Since development of oneself is a conscious choice, the quality of feedback becomes very important. Let us remember that we are dealing with adults as employees in our organisations. Adults cannot be forced to do anything against their will, leave alone invest time and effort in getting better unless they see clear benefits in doing so.

Seasoned managers know that feedback on performance is most effective when it is given on an ongoing basis rather than at the end of the year during the period designated for annual appraisals and ratings. Heard of the knowing-doing gap? You will find this gap in ample measure when it comes to providing timely feedback to employees.

Most managers tend to postpone giving feedback, especially if it is ‘not so good news’. In fact, I often refer to the review feedback session experience as “going to a dentist.” Both the manager and the employee go to the review feedback sessions with the same level of enthusiasm and anxiety as they would were they going to a dentist!

The reason why feedback sessions are painful for both employees and their managers is fairly simple. Firstly, both underestimate the preparation needed for a meaningful discussion. Managers argue that since they know their employees’ strengths and weaknesses like the back of their palm there is no need for preparation. Employees, in turn, are not sure what is in store for them and often end up preparing defences against potential issues their managers might bring up. The result is often a guarded and superficial discussion that leaves the employee with no insight into his areas for improvement or even his strengths.

If a manager is genuinely interested in the development of the employees, he or she would work hard at preparing and discussing the performance of the employee in a holistic and comprehensive manner. Performance analysis would cover four key influencing aspects, namely, employee skills and competence, effort put in, results achieved and the enabling/constraining circumstances under which the employee performed.

Magic questions

I have come to believe that no review feedback session is ever complete without the manager asking two powerful questions and listening carefully to the response of the employees without becoming defensive. These two questions are what I call the ‘magic questions’ because they can prove to be a great eye-opener for managers to manage their employees better. Even more important, answers to these two magic questions could actually prove to be a developmental opportunity for the managers themselves!

Here are the two questions every manager must ask their employees at the time of review feedback:

Tell me three things I must start doing well so that your performance becomes more effective.

Tell me three things that I must stop doing so that your performance becomes more effective!

Understandably, the first question is easy to ask and perhaps most managers do ask them. However, the second question is difficult for most managers to ask for obvious reasons. And even if one musters the courage to ask the second question, the employees are unlikely to jump up and give their honest answers. After all, they would not like to say or do anything they suspect could be career-limiting! However, smart managers recognise that their own growth and development depends a lot on encouraging their employees to give an honest answer to the above two questions, and more particularly the second one.

Relationships built on trust and fairness will go a long way in eliciting honest answers to these questions. It is a choice that managers have, as much as an opportunity for their own improvement. So, my message to managers is to practise asking these two magic questions and pay attention to what people have to say. Your performance and your team’s performance will soar high.

(The writer is Senior Vice-President and Chief People Officer with Symphony Services Corporation.)

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