I’m continually amazed at the number of employees that don’t know what their managers think of their performance.  If annual or mid-year reviews are the only time you tell your staff how they’re doing, how do you ever expect them to improve?  So many firms push iterative development and continuous improvement manufacturing processes, but what about continuous professional development?  How do you accomplish this?

1. Clearly articulate the strengths and weaknesses you see in your employees and set a measurable goal and time frame.  Many large firms define goals for employees at the beginning of the year, and if your firm does this is an excellent time to define specific areas for improvement.  Even if your firm doesn’t do this, you should still…
2. Sit down with each of your staff on a regular basis for a one-on-one discussion.  My preference is weekly for my direct staff, though if you have a large organization bi-weekly might make more sense.  The important thing is to discuss recent successes and issues as well as long-term progress, not simply provide a verbal status report.  Most important…
3. Be candid with your staff about their weaknesses, and offer specific ideas for improvement.
   1. Be clear about weaknesses, and make sure the employee understands what’s expected.
   2. Don’t sugar coat problems in the hope that your employees will eventually figure out that they’re underperforming because in my experience most won’t
4. Finally, don’t forget about positive reinforcement of good behaviors as well.  Be sure to highlight what your staff is doing well and encourage that behavior to continue