Getting Results from

Formal Feedback

Manager Success
Workshop Series
Workbook
A Framework for Member Conversations
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All other conversations are welcomed and encouraged.

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EMPLOYEE ENTERPRISE CONTRIBUTION CHECKLIST
Instructions: Use this guide to identify areas where your employees can concentrate their efforts to become enterprise contributors. Assess
one of your direct reports, and whether or not they perform each of the tasks below.

Employee Name:

Prioritization Organizational Awareness

Prioritizes activities based on their contribution to the Understands the informal decision-making processes of the
organization, rather than completing tasks based only on fulfilling organization, rather than just the formal reporting structures.
job description.

Speaks with you to better understand organizational priorities Speaks with colleagues to understand the key talents and
and how their role relates to those goals responsibilities in their division in order to identify the best
person to ask for assistance or bring concerns in certain
instances

Seeks out ways to make broader impact outside of their formal Uses their informal interactions with colleagues to get a better
role, for example by organizing skill workshops or assisting understanding of the challenges their division or organization
other teams with their experience and knowledge is facing and considers how they can help

Asks you to explain the reasoning behind organizational Identifies strengths and weaknesses, as well as additional skills
decisions, not just the decisions themselves of team members when considering division of labor on team
projects

Teamwork Problem Solving

Coordinates their work with that of others to achieve mutual Proactively identifies problems and opportunities for change and
outcomes, rather than just maintaining personal relationships with initiate solutions, rather than only responding to changes made by
colleagues. others.

Shadows colleagues outside of their direct team to gain better Meets periodically with peers in other functions to discuss
perspective of their responsibilities common challenges and share best practices

Proactively serves as a resource for new hires rather than Includes at least one proposed solution when escalating a
having them approach them with questions first problem or challenge

Uses their extended network including alumni networks, Avoids becoming complacent with existing practices by
vendors, etc., to advance other teams in the company, rather periodically reviewing procedures to identify alternative
than only using them to benefit their team methods that may prove more efficient

2017 Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.HRFR171964 3

SELF-DIAGNOSTIC EXERCISE
Focusing on the Right Activities

Instructions: Assess the frequency with which you perform various development activities. Activities at the top of the list will tend to have
the greatest impact on employee performance.

Frequency
Activity Often Sometimes Never

I explain the standards used during performance evaluations to my employees.

I assist my employees in the creation of development plans.

I give my employees feedback on their performance strengths during performance

reviews.

I ensure assigned projects provide learning experiences for my direct reports.

I provide my employees with new experiences that promote their development.

I give my direct reports feedback on personality strengths during their performance

reviews.
I provide my employees with feedback on performance weaknesses during performance
reviews.

I help my employees find the training they need.

I help my direct reports apply new skills or knowledge.

I pass along internal job openings as they become available.

I pass along development opportunities to my employees as they become available.

I teach my employees new skills, processes, or procedures.

I ensure my direct reports have the required skills and knowledge before they need it.

I give my employees advice based upon my own experiences.

2017 Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.HRFR171964 4

FOCUS ON FUTURE PERFORMANCE
Instructions: Use this checklist when preparing for performance review feedback. Choose which questions you want
to ask your employees, and have this sheet with you as you deliver performance review feedback.

Capabilities

Ask the employee about skills he/she wants to learn in the future.
 alk about the skills the employee must learn and the development areas the employee needs to work on in order to
T
continue to provide value in their role.
Discuss how the employees strengths can contribute to the organizations vision and future goals.
 otivate the employee to change a past negative behavior or an under-developed skill and discuss the outcomes if
M
the employee changes his/her behavior.

Career Interests

Ask the employee about their future career interests and aspirations.
 iscuss whether the employees future career aspirations align with the organizations vision and purpose and, if not,
D
then how can the two align.
 iscuss the possible career paths available to the employee given the organizations vision and strategy for the
D
future.
Discuss how the career progression would look for at least two positions above the employees current position.

Network

 sk the employee about the types (role-related, technology-related, process-related, etc.) of networks he/she is
A
interested in being connected to based on his/her future career aspirations
 iscuss the types of networks the employee needs to be connected to in order to be successful in future roles and
D
how the organization can help him/her connect to them.
Discuss the employees current networks and how they can contribute to a high level of future performance.
 iscuss the peers and senior leaders who could have a positive impact on the employees future performance as
D
mentors and coaches.

2017 Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.HRFR171964 5

CAREER PLANNING QUESTIONNAIRE
Instructions: Fill out the conversation guide using one of your direct reports as an example. In the right hand column, fill in how your direct
report would answer each of the questions in the left column, to the best of your knowledge.

Employee Name:

Conversation Guide
Questions to Ask Your Employee Employee Responses
Questions About Your Current Role

1. What is your favorite part of your current role?

2. What would you describe as your biggest strength?

3. What one skill would you like to develop to improve in your current role?

Questions About Your Future Role(s)

1. Where do you see yourself in one to three years?

2. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

3. If there is one task or project type youd like to do more frequently in your
future roles, what would you select?
4. If there is one task or project type youd like to do less frequently in your
future roles, what would you select?
Questions About My Role

1. How can I best help you in your current role?

2. How can I best help you achieve your career goals?

3. A
 re there other individuals you would like me to enlist to help you achieve
your career goals (e.g., a colleague in a role youre interested in pursuing)?

2017 Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.HRFR171964 6

EMPLOYEE STRENGTHS AND DEVELOPMENT AREAS
Instructions: To identify the areas you need to coach, you should understand the skills your employees need to succeed in their current roles.
Use this template to record where your employees stand against the most critical skills and competencies needed in their roles.a

Employee Name:

Most Critical Skills for This Role Strength? Development Areas?

a
Managers should use the organizations performance criteria and/or the employees most recent performance review to identify the skills needed to achieve performance objectives and whether these skills are
strengths or development areas.

2017 Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.HRFR171964 7

INDIVIDUAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN
Instructions: Using one of your direct reports as an example, identify key development objectives for the employee. Identify which skills and
action steps will achieve the objective, and how success will be measured.

Staff Member Name: Manager Name:

Skill Being Target Completion Date of Next IDP

Development Objective Action Steps Success Measures
Developed Date Pull-Up

Objective 1 1. 1.

2. 2.

3. 3.

Objective 2 1. 1.

2. 2.

3. 3.

I have read and discussed my IDP with my manager. I have read and discussed this IDP with my direct report.

Staff Member Signature: Manager Signature:

2017 Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.HRFR171964 8

HOLD MEANINGFUL PERFORMANCE CONVERSATIONS
List of Questions for Each Step for Managers

Instructions: Brainstorm possible questions you could ask your direct reports for each step in the conversation process, focusing on seeking
feedback and actively listening.

Employee Name:

Conversation Steps Check-In Questions

Step 1: Review current work; discuss what 1.

is working well, and where employee needs
additional support. 2.

3.

Step 2: Discuss goal accomplishment and ensure 1.

that the linkage to business strategy is understood.
(Remember to discuss both the WHAT and the 2.
HOW) 3.

Step 3: Discuss barriers. 1.

What is getting in the way of doing your job?
What is the most frustrating barrier? 2.
How can I help remove barriers? 3.

Step 4: Discuss progress being made against 1.

development goals.
2.

3.

Step 5: Document comments/updates in online tool or paper form.

2017 Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.HRFR171964 9

PERFORMANCE REVIEW CHECKLIST
List of Preparation Steps for Managers

Instructions: Review each activity to prepare for performance reviews, and check each item off when it has been completed.

Activity Completed?

Have I required that my direct reports provide me with a self review so I can identify and
plan for areas of possible disagreement during the review?

Have I requested feedback for my direct reports from other sources (e.g., peers, internal
customers) to ensure I have a complete picture of their performance?

Have I identified performance strengths and examples that demonstrate these

strengths?

Have I pinpointed the one or two areas of performance weakness that I will address in
this review?

Have I identified concrete examples that demonstrate the impact of these performance
weaknesses?

Have I identified possible action steps that the employee and I can take to help close any
development gaps?

Have I created an outline of talking points where the bulk of the review is on strengths,
and any weaknesses are put into context?

Have I ensured that I have a plan for next steps (e.g., timeline for creating a development
plan)?

Have I clearly identified performance expectations for the next review cycle or set up a
time to discuss them in the near future?

I give my employees advice based upon my own experiences.

2017 Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.HRFR171964 10

GUIDE TO DELIVERING PERFORMANCE REVIEWS
 chedule sufficient time for
S  se clear and simple words;
U
Use GUIDE to Deliver Feedback
the meeting and book a quiet do not use jargon or vague
room language

Rehearse the conversation 
Provide examples to support G Gather verifiable performance examples
beforehand feedback and highlight
suggestions for improvement

Provide the employee
with performance review 
Listen to the employees
U Understand results/goals and actions to achieve the results

documentation comments and reactions


Maintain eye contact and a 
End on a positive note; I Identify strengths and weaknesses to discuss
positive attitude summarize the feedback and

Begin with strengths and then highlight next steps regarding
goal-setting and individual
D Develop suggestions to improve weaknesses
discuss development areas
development planning

Avoid judgmental comments
and personal remarks E Expect negative reactions and clarifications/questions

Performance Feedback LanguageDos and Donts

DO DONT

 se the term development areas when providing negative

U Use the words weaknesses and poor performance.
feedback.
Employ extreme words, such as always and never.
 se positive, empathetic sentences, such as You are professional
U
and diligent with project management, but your communication Include labels, such as irresponsible, careless, and awful.
style is a bit formal and leads to fragmented teamwork. Make value judgments, such as best, bad, incompetent.
 e descriptive, for example, Carrie, I thought the way you
B  ompare peers, for example, You are better than John at process
C
managed this was innovative and professional. I particularly liked management.
the way you...
Apologize after delivering negative feedback.
 mphasize words of encouragement, for instance, Overall, your
E
analytical skills are improving steadily; moving forward I will
provide you with more opportunities to develop this skill further.
Source: CEB analysis.

2017 Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.HRFR171964 11