In our practice at de Bestuurskamer, all kinds of leadership questions are addressed, both in coaching processes and when evaluating a Supervisory Board or Supervisory Board, but also when organizing feedback for senior management. What is the most important question to ask yourself?
How do I do justice to my employee (or colleague or boss)? For me, that is always the most important question to ask myself; both before and after an interview. This question is a question of conscience, which helped me make choices that were not always easy.
A good example where this point becomes clear is the way in which assessment forms - at many companies - are designed. Most companies use a 5- or 7-point scale to score people. In general, managers tend to gravitate towards the middle (they're like people...).
This means that managers don't make real choices; they are too nuanced. As a result, a sharp image is not created and justice is not done to the individual. A rating scale with a 4- or 6-point distribution forces the manager, but also the employee, to be sharp about what am I contributing and how do I do that, does what I do matter? A sharp scale “forces” a real conversation and offers clarity about where someone stands in their current position and possibly also a starting point for talking about their future.
It 'forces' the manager to choose, show color and paint a clear picture; that takes courage. And I sincerely wish every leader to have that courage.
Ingredients to gather and show that courage are certainly available, it requires real attention, take a moment to reflect on your employee (understand to be understood), think carefully about what someone contributes and pour clear wine about it. And that, of course, not just at that one moment...
BECAUSE, behind the simple phrase that you want to do someone justice, there is much more than that one good appraisal interview. The assessment interview is the crystallization point where all the common threads from the previous year come together. These red threads are created by regularly having a real conversation with each other that is not just about the issues of the day or just about the content. Regularly explicitly discuss whether you are still on the same wavelength, realize that you are making assumptions (and so does your employee) and make sure you check and explain them. Slow down to accelerate, take the time to really listen, and delay your judgment for a moment.
You only get the best out of people when someone feels seen and done justice throughout the year.
