Schedule Regular Check-ins with Your Direct Reports

Even if you think annual performance reviews should be abolished, it’s unlikely that you can overhaul your organization’s approach to appraisals.

Fortunately, you’re in control of the way you manage the performance of your team. If your organization requires reviews — whether they are annual, semiannual, or quarterly — you should, of course, do them.

But take additional steps throughout the review period to ensure that your employees are meeting goals and growing.

Make a practice of checking in with each of your direct reports on a regular basis, whether it’s weekly or once a month, to ask two main questions:

What are you going to get done this week (or month)?

What help do you need from me?

These informal conversations don’t require complex forms or burdensome documentation.

Check-ins like these are your best opportunity to deliver immediate, relevant feedback — and real-time course correction.

Adapted from the HBR Guide to Performance Management