Don’t Overthink It: A Simpler Way to Do Employee Reviews
Portable. Memorable. Effective. Four feedback phrases that cover it all.
Many organizations have a standard form for employee reviews but they can often feel either cold or cumbersome in their communication style. A team member can walk away without the clarity they would like, and the supervisor might feel the same way. Other orgs may not have a standardized process, or you may be expected to come up with one on your own.
In these situations over the last several decades I’ve used a simple three part review rubric. Then, in 2017, I added one more section to make it a four part review that I think gave it some more nuance. In the process I realized it could be laid out in a four quadrant pattern to understand it better and communicate it more effectively. So I offer my review rubric to you here as four super simple questions to ask yourself before conducting an employee review.
I’ll start with the most simple way to think about it, one that you can remember for the rest of your life without ever looking at this article again or keeping this quadrant on hand if you can just remember four short ideas. In fact, my goal is this: let’s say you had an employee stop you on your way out of the office on a Friday night at 5:55pm and say “Could you give me feedback on how I’m doing in my job?” I would want for you to be able to jot down these simple four things on a napkin or 3x5 card or on a white board and then do the review right then and there without any preparation at all. That’s how simple I think this can be, but I also think that is how effective this can be.
Here are the four simple statements:
KEEP
START
STOP
DON’T START
And here is an image that helps explain it deeper: (see fig 1)
Now, let me explain…
KEEP DOING is about giving praise.
What do you want them to keep doing? In this portion you acknowledge the things they are doing well, and tell them you want them to continue. Best to always start (and sometimes loop back and end in some way) with this most positive portion of the review. This can be a list of actions or attitudes. It also can include things they are expected to do. If they are faithfully getting things done that can be acknowledged here it will be an encouragement (sometimes all one needs is a little private acknowledgement to keep going) This part helps you celebrate them and ensure the good stuff they are doing doesn’t go unnoticed.
As a shorthand KEEP DOING is something to acknowledge that you do get and do want them to do and you want them to keep it up. (see fig. 1)
STOP DOING is a matter of correction.
What do you want them to stop doing? These are things they are doing that are slowing them down or perhaps distracting them. You reveal this is not a desired action or attitude, and say it would be good to knock it off. Of course, it would be good to bring these up all along the way and not just spring it them on at a review—but it can be good to confirm what these things are and get them in writing in some cases if it’s a recurring problem. Doing this second can be important and not waiting on it till the last part of the review—as they may be waiting for the other “shoe to drop.” Don’t beat around the bush on these, get right to the point and express confidence they can make the change.
As a shorthand STOP DOING is something to reveal that you do get but don’t want them to do and you’d like them to stop. (see fig. 1)
START DOING is a time of brainstorming.
What do you want them to start doing? Dream a bit for the team member and share some of what you hope to see in the future. This can be a great one to do right after “stop doing” because it is largely positive and at least constructive and might even help them spread their wings and take on a new challenge. You are thinking of something they could or should do and requesting they start. In some cases, you may not have a solid sense of what they could start doing differently, and so you can use this time to collaborate with them, encouraging them to tell you what they could start doing, as they may not feel empowered to do so unless you explicitly say so. Their ideas may be better than yours as they likely know the job better than you do.
As a shorthand START DOING is something to request that you don’t get but do want them to do so it’s time to start. (see fig. 1)
DON’T START is for providing caution.
What do you want them to not start doing? Many jobs include a repeated temptation to engage in something that will make a team member ineffective. In this portion of the review, you are pointing out something they don’t do and affirming that in fact you don’t want them to do it, meaning, you don’t want them to start doing it. This one is nuanced and not often included in most reviews, but can really enhance it in a few ways. It is an opportunity to affirm that they are not getting distracted or not having a bad attitude about something that might trip up someone else. It can be a way of affirming their character or choices to not do things others might do in the same situation. It is a particularly good time to point out elephants in the room and affirm their way of engaging (or not engaging) something in some specific way. It may be that the employee doesn’t know about this information at all, and it helps give them wisdom in advance so they know what landmines to avoid.
As a shorthand DON’T START DOING is something to affirm that you don’t get and don’t want them to do so they shouldn’t start. (see. fig 1)
I hope this helps you to either establish a new pattern of giving helpful and constructive feedback to team member, or to enhance an existing pattern of employee reviews. I have often inserted this rubric right into a more complicated and cumbersome employee evaluation form and found it to more memorably and effectively communicate what both I should say, and what the team member wants (or needs) to hear.
What questions or systems do you use in team member and employee reviews? Which part of this one mirrors your own system? Or is there something missing in this one you like to add? Leave a comment and let me know.
So helpful! I’m actually working on this right now for the organization I run and your quadrant is really helpful. Do you mind if I adopt it?
It sounds a lot like the questions I ask whenever I start a new role. I like to go around to the employees and ask, “If you were me coming into this role, what would you 1. Start 2. Stop 3. Keep?”
Love the content Dave! Keep it up man!
Great overlay to the review conversation! We're in the process of implementing a review system, and your rubric and values espoused therein are great.
How do you find reviews work best in a multi-tiered church organization? IE: where not all staff report to a Senior Staff member. Does Senior Staff still handle all reviews? Do you empower directors to do reviews, then observe and implement? Would love to learn from someone who has gone ahead of us!