Build skip-level communication into performance review & feedback processes
Engage with and motivate people you lead by forging connections between them and their management chain.
Asking employees what they want
I’ve been asking my friends about their career — how satisfied they are, what they would do differently, and how they wish things could be.
As part of that, I asked my friends at larger companies: “What concrete things do you wish management was doing to support your career?”
People wanted different kinds of career help:
- Feel more satisfied
- Learn new skills
- Gain experience
- Get a raise or promotion
Visibility and connection with leadership
A common theme was: visibility and connection with leadership — or rather, a lack of both.
A lot of people had never met or communicated directly with anyone in their management chain beyond their immediate manager. Many people didn’t even really know what people above their manager actually do.
This made them feel disconnected from management and from decisions management makes that affect them.
Why this matters
That feeling of disconnection is counterproductive for many reasons:
- It fosters an us-versus-them mindset.
- It causes employees to feel like leadership knows nothing about them or even thinks about them.
- It makes you wonder, “How can I get promoted if I never talk to the people who make those decisions?”
- It means your career is in the hands of your manager, your chance of promotion hinges on your manager’s ability to advocate on your behalf.
- It means you can’t tell your own story.
Because management holds so much power, with respect to career opportunities, this disconnect leads to a feeling of helplessness, which destroys motivation.
What senior managers can do
Here’s a tweak to existing processes that would increase visibility and that feeling of connection:
Build skip-level communication into performance review & feedback processes.
- Senior managers — Read and comment on results of people who report to your direct reports
- Managers — Ask your manager to read and comment on results of people who report to you
- Employees — Ask your manager to facilitate this skip-level communication
Example
Nine people report to a manager named Anne. As part of a quarterly performance review/feedback process, each of those nine people submits a list of their own results to Anne.
The suggestion here is: For each of those nine reports, Anne’s manager reads the results and writes up a sentence or two, with specific kudos and encouragement, referencing detail in the results.
I realize that some senior managers might have to read and comment on a lot of results. I understand that’s non-trivial. However, I’d argue you’re getting tremendous bang for your buck.
Managers, this is a concrete thing you can do — and be seen to be doing. Your effort to connect, and your attention to detail, can really motivate people. And this gives you a view into what’s going on with the people you lead.
Conclusion
In the era of The Great Resignation and Quiet Quitting, adding skip-level communication to your performance review and feedback processes is an easy way to engage with and motivate employees.
