Managing performance

I have to say that I have not done any formal written performance evaluations since I have become the director of my library.  That is going to change!

I have made a point to have a one on one discussion with each employee at random times to talk about their jobs, finding out how things are going, and to get a sense of their attitude about the job.  I usually get input from them about the processes of the jobs they do to find out if things are working like they should.  I also try to make mental notes about things I need to discuss with employees when I see them and have the opportunity to have a private conversation.  Right now,  I don't have a private office. So when I find a good opportunity to talk, I try to take advantage. 

After today's discussion, I would like to try a quarterly informal "sit-down" to discuss any items that need to be taken care of with each employee, get feedback, and give praise when it is due.  I would also like to implement a self-evaluation to see where the employee sees themselves, ask them to set personal goals, and follow-up on these goals annually with an annual review.  The self-evaluation will show the discrepancies between how the employee thinks and how you think about the employee.  It should point out any problems.

Our speaker also talked about trust.  In my mind, trust is one of the most important things in any relationship.  It is built over time and it goes both ways.  You have to trust your employees and they have to be able to trust you.