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BEST PRACTICES & STRATEGIES













































             Choosing people over process =


             tomorrow’s take on performance



            It’s Friday night. The city’s finest restaurant is bathed in   dent dessert at the end.
            candlelight, while a couple clinks to ten years and sips   The reality is, most of us enjoy our annual performance
            on overpriced champagne. This evening was long       reviews as much as we do a root canal. With the ex-
            awaited; the prospect of some adult conversation was   ception of those rare (and rather odd) eager beavers in
            worth the logistical gymnastics required to get the kids   any organization, we usually don’t look for opportunities
            babysat. One partner looks into the other’s eyes, lingers   to be pried open and dug into on the operating chair.
            lovingly over the pregnant pause and then launches the   It’s awkward; ambiguous at times, and can be very
            opening statement as planned: “Honey, thanks for join-  painful. Unsurprisingly, companies are starting to ques-
            ing me for your annual performance review. I’ve been   tion the value of the annual performance review, ex-
            looking forward to examining how you’ve gone over the   ploring a more natural alternative for keeping fingers on
            past 12 months.”                                     company pulses.

            For the next two hours they dissect and label productivi-  As we’ve been examining their new normal, we’re get-
            ty in graphs and numbers. One partner went from a 4 to   ting more convinced than ever – that they’re onto
            a 5 in delegation, but…then again…that bout of toast   something. Here’s why…
            burning in the month of March knocked domesticity
            down to a 3. All in all, however, the score was sufficient;   From annual to everyday
            the meeting productive; and the dessert delicious.
                                                                 The annual review has been called a rite of “corporate
            Sound sexy? We don’t think so either. It lacks a cer-  kabuki” when it comes to offering honest, constructive
            tain…heart, don’t you think? And yet, when we’re hon-  and real time input. Once a year the manager sits down
            est about the way most organizations handle their peo-  to discuss the should’ve, could’ve, would’ve of your
            ple, it’s really no different to this. It just lacks the deca-  performance that year, but by the time six months prior
      20            October 2017 - Programmatic & Native Advertising
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