Performance reviews. Ugh, right?
(And probably not what you were expecting to read about under the headline Re-excitement!)
Everyone pretty much dreads the annual review cycle. I know I did as an employee – and I know I did as an executive and leader.
I won’t enumerate all the reasons why we dread the process. And if you’re part of a company that doesn’t do them any more, yay for that.
So maybe you do, or maybe you don’t do, a formal year-end performance review. That’s fine, either way.
Because, no: I’m not here to talk about how to do a better performance review.
I’m here to talk about something else: how to re-hire your people.
And no, I’m not talking about what’s being called “boomerang” employees – employees who quit and are now looking to return.
I’m talking about your current people.
The people who’ve stuck with you. The people who hung in there during the worst of the uncertainty and anxiety of the past two years. The people who didn’t quit in the Great Resignation.
Yeah, those people.
In all the scramble and confusion, it’s easy to take those people for granted. (And if you haven’t done so – if you’ve been appreciative and acknowledged their efforts – yay you!)
But let’s think about going a little farther.
Do an on-boarding. Call it a re-boarding, if you want. Tell them what they can look forward to in the upcoming year. Tell them about the strengths you want them to bring to bear in their role. Tell them about interesting and challenging projects and objectives they can contribute to.
Tell them how excited you are to have them on your team.
And then ask them what they want to work on, what they’re excited about, and what ideas they have for moving forward.
Don’t take them for granted. Give them reasons to be excited to come to work – whether that’s in their home office, or in your corporate office.
And then – guess what! You can do this for yourself, as well. Because this isn’t only about leading others; we also need to lead ourselves, and advocate for our own careers and professional growth.
You’ll all be better for it – your people, your teams, you yourself, and your company.
As always, it starts with leadership. Your leadership – as in, you yourself. Your leadership – as in, the senior leadership team. Your leadership – as in, the leaders, managers, and individual contributors you work with. And yes, no matter where you are on that list, you are a leader. Want to be more of one? Let’s talk.