CEB HR Leadership CouncilTM
For Midsized Companies
Improving the Formal Performance
Review Process
Tips to Plan and Conduct Formal Performance Reviews
CEB HR Leadership Council TMFor Midsized Companies
© 2010 The Corporate Executive Board Company. All Rights Reserved.
HRLC-AD6129510SYN
1
BEFORE THE REVIEW
Three Tips
Resource for Your Help
1. Establish Healthy Employee Relationships
To Remember: The messenger matters as much as the message.
Establishing Healthy
Employee Relationships
2. Clearly Explain Performance Standards
To Remember: Clearly and explicitly state performance criteria to your employees
before you begin assessing performance.
3. Provide Immediate Informal Feedback Along the Way
To Remember: Provide immediate informal feedback along the way.
Source: CLC Learning and Development research; HR Leadership Council research.
CEB HR Leadership Council TMFor Midsized Companies
© 2010 The Corporate Executive Board Company. All Rights Reserved.
HRLC-AD6129510SYN
2
THE ACTUAL REVIEW
Four Tips
Resource for Your Help
1. Planning
To Remember:
 If not already required, ask employees to complete a self-review and read it before you
deliver their reviews.
 Rehearse conversations and key messages before the review takes place.
Tips for Providing Feedback
on Performance Weaknesses
2. Providing Feedback on Personality Strengths
To Remember: Commenting purely on personality strengths is simple flattery; to make
this feedback more meaningful, tie it to performance strengths.
3. Providing Feedback on Performance Strengths
To Remember: Provide specific examples of strengths “in action.”
4. Providing Feedback on Performance Weaknesses
To Remember: .
 When providing this type of feedback, avoid judgmental words like “poor performance”
or “weakness”; instead, present it in the context of a developmental opportunity.
 Do not assume you understand the reason for a performance weakness; allow the
employee to discuss why he or she is performing in a particular way.
Source: CLC Learning and Development research; HR Leadership Council research.
CEB HR Leadership Council TMFor Midsized Companies
© 2010 The Corporate Executive Board Company. All Rights Reserved.
HRLC-AD6129510SYN
3