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Listen
to the song behind the words during appraisal
The
Economic Times — November 15, 2006
This article is part of a
series written by R Gopalakrishnan, executive director,
Tata Sons for The Economic Times
The
most common complaint heard in company corridors pertains
to the company's appraisal system and the quality of
feedback to the manager from his superior. Whatever
is done, it never seems to be good enough. Improving
on this aspect is a constant effort everywhere, all
the time.
The theoretical characteristics
of the 'ideal' appraisal system are known. The feedback
message must contain comments with examples and suggestions
for improvement. The message must be delivered in a
positive environment, a context of trust. Implementing
this correctly is very complicated.
Thirty five year old Pratap used
to work in my department at a certain point of time.
He was a competent engineer and could solve technical
problems reliably. He had two characteristics: first,
that he was forever critical of other colleagues and
departments; second, that he was supremely confident
that he could run a business. I often wished he would
attempt to be more realistic. I even hinted such thoughts
to him, bearing in mind that he was also a very sensitive
individual.
In the natural course of our
careers, he and I moved into other parts of the company.
We began to work together again after several years.
By this time, there was a senior manager between his
position and mine. Pratap would drop in occasionally
for a chat. Most of the time he would enquire about
the family and talk of our earlier work experiences,
and I would spend some social time with him.
On one such occasion, Pratap
complained that his immediate boss was ambiguous in
giving him a performance feedback. As a result, he felt
that he was not being considered for advancement into
a general management position. He felt aggrieved. I
told him that his boss would give him more direct feedback.
When I broached the subject to
Pratap's boss, he insisted that he had given his feedback,
which was admittedly delicate, as he did not wish to
damage Pratap's self-esteem by being too direct. However,
he agreed to try once again. His boss had felt that
Pratap's execution capability was limited by his inability
to get along with peers and other departments. As a
result, his boss felt that Pratap had become part of
the problem, not a part of the solution.
After three weeks, Pratap arrived
in my office in a rather depressed condition. He said
his boss had been ' brutal in his feedback' and surely
there was no need to make a big deal out of one's supposed
shortcomings! I was amazed. I could not help pointing
out that a more direct feedback had been sought by him.
"Of course that is true.
But that does not mean that you make me feel incapable
or isolated," he insisted. I found it difficult to
agree with him, particularly because Pratap's boss was
regarded in the company as one of the most humane and
caring managers. I suggested to Pratap that perhaps he
was not really ready for a direct feedback, though he
had stated that it was what he wanted.
"But what is your view?
You have known me for long," he persisted. I said
that I had participated in the appraisal and concurred
with what had been commented. Pratap was crestfallen.
"Well, I have to think about my future," he
said remorsefully as he left my room.
Pratap left the company to do
jobs in a couple of outside companies. Since he was
in touch with me for advice and counseling, I could
observe that he was not achieving as much happiness
as he expected, hence not much success.
All managers say that they want
'frank and open feedback'. Most are unprepared for it.
The best feedback is obtained not from what is stated
explicitly, but from what is not stated.
If a manager can learn
to listen to the song behind the words, then he would
have got the feedback without damaging his ego and self-esteem.
It is a skill to be cultivated.
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