It’s time to dump assessments

In the article, “Why would we bring back ‘constructive criticism’ as a management style?” Ray Williams hits on one of my current hot spots: annual reviews or assessments. I like to ask our clients, “Thinking of your last annual review, how long did it take you to recover from it?” I get answers such as, “I’m still not over it,” and “Recover?” Assessments get people focused on the wrong things—the negative aspects of their behavior. The brain releases chemicals that stimulate the fight or flight response and shuts down the ability to think. Research shows that focusing on the negative is detrimental to organizational health. So why do people continue to focus on what is lacking in a person? Because it’s easier than finding out what makes people great. Because they have always been told that they need to analyze the situation first and find the gaps. Because they like “fixing” people. I don’t care how a person has performed in the past. I want them to focus on what it takes to be great; how to think about it and how to organize themselves to work on things to attain greatness. I want them to develop a habit of continuously working on being better than they are today and sharing what they have learned with others. Just because you’ve tried to fix people in the past doesn’t mean you have to use that approach today. “The Star Factor” describes how to create the path to mastery and get everyone on that path. It’s time to dump assessments and start doing Affirmative Leadership. Read the full article at FinancialPost.com. Image courtesy of watiporn / FreeDigitalPhotos.net]]>