How to Encourage Employees to Review You

It’s essential to your leadership development that you encourage employees to review you. In my post Employee Reviews Should Be an Ongoing Process I outlined why reviews should be a yearlong process not once per year. The other day a manager asked me to review questions she had prepared for her staff to answer before their annual review. They were excellent questions, mostly open-ended about their needs, such as training. She wondered if there were too many questions. After reviewing it together we added a couple more. We added, “How can I be a better leader?” and, “How might I help you more individually?” And that led to a discussion about employees reviewing the manager. Here are a few of the questions we came up with to encourage employees to share.

Manager Review Questions

Share these questions with your direct reports. Let them know that honest input is the only way to gain insight and work on improvement. A page full of “You’re a great boss!” doesn’t help anyone. Tell your team that no one is perfect, and you want ideas on how to be a better leader. Make it clear there will be no retribution regardless of the answer as long as it’s coming from help. Clarify that they may not have an answer for every question but any insights they share will be appreciated.

How can I be a better leader?
What would you do differently in our department?
What’s my biggest management weakness?
How can I better lead and serve you?
What mistakes do I repeat as a manager?
How can I improve team cohesion and unity?
What do I not do that I should?
What do I do that I should stop doing?
Do I give enough individual time to team members?
What training should I be providing the team that I don’t?

After the Reviews

After receiving the reviews digest them with an open mind. Look at them from the outside looking in as if it were about another. Note the areas where improvement is needed, and then sit down one-on-one with each teammate who completed the review.

Let them know how much you appreciated the review
Share areas you’re going to change or improve
Discuss suggestions you’re not implementing and explain why
Thank them for their honesty

Encourage Employees to Review You by Following Up

Just as an annual employee review should be a yearlong process not only once a year, revisit the survey throughout the year. Take a monthly look at your commitments to change and improve, and share your progress with the team. Reviews should be a two-way street, completed in the spirit of helping one another, and making everyone a winner. When you encourage employees you serve them and the team.

How Can I Help You?

I like to help people and organizations, but I have three criteria I consider before taking an assignment – I believe in what the organization stands for, I know I can help, and it looks like fun. If you have any questions, Contact Me.

Does your business have a management training plan? Businesses and universities use my book, The New Manager’s Workbook, a crash course in effective management, as the basis for their leadership development program. I’m also available to conduct training.

If you enjoyed this post you might also appreciate this post, Why You Should Set Expectations with Trainees from Day One.

Photo by Amy Hirschi on Unsplash