Boss to Coach Conversation 5 of 5 Progress Review
Week 1 – Lets Progress

What does a great Progress Review look like?

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Lesson 4 What does a great Progress Review look like?

Below is a summary which is also on Page 8 of your Black Workbook below the heading Framing the Progress Review Conversation.

What It Is

  • Continual performance conversations
  • Development based on clear expectations and accountability
  • Focused on leveraging strengths
  • Aligning individual goals with team goals and organisation's objectives
  • Coaching focused on improving future behaviours and reaching future achievements
  • Collaboration between manager and employee
  • Aimed at individualising expectations and improvement

What It Is Not

  • Occurs annually
  • Evaluations are based on performance ratings
  • Focused on fixing or addressing weaknesses
  • Top-down cascading of goals from leaders to individuals
  • Led by manager
  • Comparing employees for the sake of compensation

Activity As you review the list, mark next to each item what is true for your experience of YOUR progress review conversations.  Circle the one item that you would like to intentionally change/add moving forward?

Based on Gallup research there are three characteristics of a successful Progress Review (see Page 9 of your Black Workbook WHAT Characteristics of a Successful Progress Review), they are

  • Achievement Oriented Reflect on your own and company goals.  Review progress made to date. Only 30% of employees surveyed strongly agree that their manager involves them in goal setting

  • Developmental Identify any barriers and find ways to overcome them.  Amend your goals as necessary.  Define future priorities and ways to achieve them.  Only 23% of employees strongly agree their manager provides meaningful feedback to them

  • Fair & Accurate Commit to a collective focus for success.  40% of employees strongly agree their manager holds them accountable for their performance goals

This process should meet the needs of the people who report to you, which will in turn ignite motivation.  In the book on Strengths-Based Leadership, from research of 10,000 followers, Gallup identified four core needs and the questions to ask, see the diagram The 4 Needs of Followers on Page 9 of your Black Workbook

  • Trust Does my manager keep me informed? Trust flourishes when an employee’s aspirations harmonise with the organisation’s vision, purpose, and values. It’s not just built—it’s nurtured, deepened, and sustained.

  • Compassion Does my organisation care about my wellbeing?  You want to leave people well.  As Maya Angelou said, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

  • Stability Am I well prepared to do my work?  People who know what is expected of them are more productive, cost effective, creative, and adaptive.

  • Hope Is there a clear plan for the future?  Compared to an average of 16.5% actively disengaged, when an employee’s development is encouraged, this will drop to less than one percent

If we get this right, a strong Progress Review can support a fourfold increase in what inspires, enables, and improves performance and creates high levels of engagement i.e., that people care about their work, their team, and the organisation. 

Team Leader Debrief

That’s the end of this week’s online learning.  Do you have a 15 minute debrief booked with your team leader/sponsor?  Aim to answer the questions

  1. What is one discovery you have made?

  2. What is one thing you will do differently?

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