Word’s getting out that performance evaluations can do significant damage in the workplace. From “Get Rid of the Performance Review” in the Wall Street Journal: “[An evaluation] destroys morale, kills teamwork and hurts the bottom line. And that’s just for starters.”
What to do?
Listen to Courtney Love, natch. We just can’t contain our unending adoration of her.
In an interview last year supporting Hole’s album Nobody’s Daughter, rather than evaluating her performance, she deconstructs it.
There’s a subtle, yet significant difference between the two approaches. An analysis describes something from different angles, without necessarily drawing conclusions. In contrast, an evaluation judges it. What do we learn from being judged? Not so much.
Yet from an analytical breakdown, we derive plenty. Love analyzes her recent work experience in typically forthright form. The gems:
[In Austin, Texas] I engaged the audience more, I gave them more. I don’t know if I can do that all the time. Because I give too much when I give. And I don’t know that people are appreciating what they’re seeing, and even if they are, I don’t know if that’s enough for me. So I’m very conflicted about my job.
You note her open ambivalence about her livelihood? Nearly all of us feel ambivalent about some aspects of our employment. In thinking critically about her relationship to her work, it feels like she’s learning about her self as she speaks.
The internal conflict continues: Read more
