Performance Management must be a daily effort, not only coming into focus when review time comes around.  It's important for me to consistently check in with my team members on their objectives as well as progress in areas identified as opportunities for improvement, recognize when they have met and exceeded expectations, and when they have not.  Because of this, reviews are simply an official recap of what they have already heard from me throughout the year.

I have been delighted to offer promotions to those who have demonstrated the ability to take on more demanding projects and higher responsibilities.  I have also faced unacceptable performance with decisive action while maintaining compassion and a desire to help a team member grow.

At times I have made use of Performance Improvement Plans to assist a team member in focusing on the critical skills and behavior needed to perform their role.  There have been times when an individual was simply not suited for a role as it evolved to meet the demands of a growing company.  In these cases I have worked with those team members to find roles within the company that were better suited to their skills and interests, roles in which I was happy to see them thrive.