Performance review time is enough to elicit a hearty sigh from even the most seasoned manager. Although the review for the problematic employee can write themselves, writers block can occur when trying to find constructive feedback for a performance review for high performers. Below are some meaningful positive and negative feedback phrases that are associated with a high performing employee.
What do you say to someone who is a high performer other then a lackluster “keep up the good work”? Depending on how your Human Resources department sets up the performance review, a common format is to provide areas for improvement for all staff. This means that you as the manager need to be able to come up with both positives and some future improvements for even your top performers. By taking the time to provide meaningful feedback, you will have the added benefit of keeping up their engagement.
The old adage, “no one is perfect” should be applied to the performance review of even a high performer. Perhaps this staff member has alienated their peers on their way to being a high performer? They could be overly communicative, seemingly popping in to your office for “gold stars” by filling you in on needless details of work progress?
Everyone has flaws, the staff member may inadvertently be stepping on toes on their road to success that may impede their followership by the team one day. Chances are, they have room to grow in a few areas and your feedback will help provide ideas for improvements.
This is why a quality performance review for high performer is so important. Remember, you are both investing your time in this process. Make it worthwhile by giving the staff member a new target and providing guidance on potential missteps they may be inadvertently making.
Asking the tough question – are they really a perfect employee?
Humans are flawed creatures. We will stumble here and there as we learn and hone our craft – whatever industry that may be in.
There is a high likelihood that this employee may be shiny because compared to some of your challenging employees – they show up on time, complete their work, and get along with people. They are the middle management dream employee.
But dig deeper, that employee that works hard may be close to burn out because they aren’t prioritizing their tasks because they are too busy being the ‘go-to expert’ or are taking on too much?
The employee that gets along well with people, may inadvertently talk over others when in a group setting because they are too excited to have their ideas heard?
The employee that hands in all of their work on time and has a great work ethic may be stepping on others and jeopardizing the team to get ahead professionally?
As a middle manager, you are very busy with managing tasks in both vertical and horizontal directions. There are lots of things that may require addressing that never quite float to the top of the to do list. A performance review is the perfect time to address the comparatively minor issues that may hold the employee back from reaching their next level of potential. This is the perfect time to bring up that bit of feedback that never organically made its way in to the conversation.
So what do I say to a high performer during a performance review, and how do I say it?
Below are some positive and negative attribute phrases often associated with high performers. The phrases that encourage the employee to work on some behaviors should be phrased in a positive way to maximize the employee’s receptiveness to change.
First and foremost, this should be a back and forth conversation between the manager and the employee. You do not want the employee sitting there and not getting everything they could out of the performance review. By not having a real conversation, you will miss out on the opportunity for their feedback on their performance, new education or projects, and new goal setting.
You can also take the time to provide additional resources that they may not be aware of. Additional courses that might be helpful for your industry, support, or just guide you as the manager on how you could potentially mentor this staff member.
To wrap up a performance review with a high performer, any identified issues should have an action plan. This must be solidified by the employee on how they can demonstrate the desired behavior. For instance, if you would like them to increase their collaboration, ask them how they will demonstrate increased collaboration. The goal here is to have them think about what actions they can take. Although it may feel forced at first, hopefully the new practice will feel natural once they have demonstrated it a few times.
Phrases to use in a performance review for a high performer
For meaningful performance review that will keep both you and the high performer happy, there should be a diversity of comments provided for feedback. This is so the comments do not completely focus on one aspect of their job, such as high quality of deliverables. That’s great reinforcement, but they should already know that they performed well because you gave them feedback in the moment.
Stumped on what to write on a performance review for virtual workers? Here are some positive and negative phrases that are specific to remote workers!
Comment on attributes that they are also doing well, with some specific examples. To achieve this variety, have some feedback in at least four of the following themes:
- Creativity/process improvement contribution.
- Problem solving/dependency
- Productivity/task completion
- Communication
- Collaboration/teamwork
- Organizing/prioritizing
- Leadership
When preparing the feedback, provide specific examples of when they demonstrated either the desirable or undesirable behavior. Be able to speak to how it positively or negatively contributed to the team or the impact it had on a deliverable. When you are giving feedback, the employee should understand what they did to contribute to your opinion on the matter.
Creativity/process improvement contribution:
Positive Phrases:
- Able to provide innovative solutions to challenges and suggests new strategy ideas. Get specific here, what was the challenge?
- Demonstrates respect for the cost of projects. Suggests process improvements that respect the bottom line and add monetary value to the company.
- Creates an action plan that aligns with the final project or goal in mind.
- Initiates appropriate changes to comply with organizational standards and policies.
Negative Phrases:
- Can alienate peers with negative comments towards the current organizational processes.
- Work towards finding the root cause of an issue, rather than temporary solutions.
- Can be overwhelmed by workload, as a result they want to keep current practices within their comfort level.
Problem Solving/Dependency
Positive Phrases
- Demonstrated ability to solve issues as they come up with a high level of success.
- Ability to break down issues to the root cause and solve, rather than patchwork solutions to the symptoms of an issue.
- Encouraged to continue to work outside their comfort zone by working on stretch projects.
Negative Phrases:
- Solves issues without input from teammates, where it would be valuable to get their expertise.
- Can stall progress on projects by waiting on approval from management before proceeding to the next step. Note: Great opportunity to empower employee and set up check-in points that suit your schedule better.
- Hesitancy accepting praise with the quality of work provided.
- React too quickly without thinking things through, which causes issues when having to backtrack.
Productivity/task completion
Positive Phrases:
- Ability to stay focused on a task until successful completion.
- Demonstrated flexibility and able to adapt to challenges that come up. Encourages those around them to follow suit.
- Good time management, able to recognize priorities and complete on time.
- Attention to detail can impede ability to complete work in a timely manner.
Negative Phrases:
- Can neglect their own task completion because they are too busy being the resource person for others.
- Neglects “less important” tasks that do not give opportunity to shine to team or management.
- Due to their familiarity with the work, have found shortcuts to complete their work that can miss important steps. If they would like a process change, they need to go through the correct channels.
Communication
Positive Phrases:
- Written reports provide the necessary information to draw a conclusion from.
- Offers up information that is valuable for the team.
- Able to communicate difficult or technical concepts in to easily understandable language for those that are not experts in the field.
- Has ability to teach others what they are a subject matter expert in. Does not hoard knowledge.
Negative Phrases:
- Encouraged to speak up in a group setting to have their ideas heard.
- Encouraged to draw out other opinions in a team environment where introverts may be hesitant to share their knowledge or suggestion.
- Has too many meetings without an agenda or discernible purpose when a quick email may have sufficed. Fewer meetings with focus would lead to greater use of time.
- Although reports provide thorough accounts, writing could be more concise to increase the likelihood of readers fully embracing all of the written content.
- Shows a reluctance to pass key information to others in case it reduces their status as “subject matter expert”.
Collaboration/Teamwork
Positive Phrases:
- Contributes to team environment by recognizing value of input from all team members.
- Their actions as a team member contributed to X% increase in productivity or revenue.
- Makes teammates feel valued by incorporating their work when collaborating.
- Recognizes when a team member needs help and will help them complete tasks on time.
Negative Phrases:
- Has a tendency to ignore input from others, favoring their input rather than others.
- Becomes depressed or visually upset if their idea is not used.
- Micromanages peers and may take over some of their work themselves rather than supporting them to complete the work themselves.
Organizing/Prioritizing
Positive Phrases:
- Work is organized so that it was transparent to others reviewing the work.
- Organized planning reduced duplication of work by others.
- Able to prioritize and balance their day to day work with urgent priorities that may come up.
Negative Phrases:
Keep in mind: It’s possible that the staff member may be working hard, but not on the organizational priorities.
- Their task completion rate is sometimes prioritized over quality of work.
- They sometimes have a difficult time asking for assistance from the coworkers or management if they are unable to complete a task on time.
- Encouraged to speak up if they are being assigned too much work that will not be able to be completed in the amount of time given.
- Would likely increase productivity if they focused on work rather than friendships.
Leadership
Positive Phrases:
- Demonstrates accountability for their work and ability to implement feedback.
- Demonstrates a great attitude that is honest and open, leading to trust with his coworkers.
- Ability to communicate ideas that leads to consensus within their team.
- Ready to take on larger projects or assignments.
Negative Phrases:
- Does not demonstrate respect for members of their team that may be struggling.
- A strong performer, that has a “know-it-all” attitude that rubs their peers the wrong way.
- Is quick to take praise for success, but will point their finger towards a peer if something goes wrong.
Stumped on how to provide feedback on the employee self assessment section? Here is how to provide a structure for a meaningful back and forth conversation, with examples of how to write feedback where you disagree with the employee self assessment.
Remember, when writing up a performance review for a high performer, try to give them something concrete to work with. Chances are they are an ambitious employee who wants to please and work on self-improvement. If you don’t challenge them – they will go somewhere else to get that challenge.