Appraisals—and the philosophy behind them—are far too much concerned with “potential.”
Effective executives usually work out their own unique form of performance appraisal. It starts out with a statement of the major contributions expected from a person in his past and present positions and a record of his performance against these goals. Then it asks four questions:
- What has he [or she] done well?
- What, therefore, is he likely to be able to do well?
- What does he have to learn or to acquire to be able to get the full benefit from his strength?
- If I had a son or daughter, would I be willing to have him or her work under this person? (a) If yes, why? (b) If no, why?
This appraisal actually takes a much more critical look at a person than the usual procedure does. But it focuses on strengths. Weaknesses are seen as limitations to the full use of strengths and to one’s own achievement, effectiveness, and accomplishment. The last question (b) is the only one that is not primarily concerned with strengths. Subordinates, especially bright, young, and ambitious ones, tend to mold themselves after a forceful boss. There is, therefore, nothing more corrupting and more destructive in an organization than a forceful but basically corrupt executive. Here, therefore, is the one area where weakness is a disqualification by itself rather than a limitation on performance capacity and strength.
ACTION POINT: Adhere to the four questions in this reading when conducting performance appraisals.
The Effective Executive
* Source: The Daily Drucker by Peter F. Drucker