Skill City launched

Hi everyone, finally the Skill City is born!

Please visit www.skillcity.pk, and you can download my writings and powerpoint presentations.

Wali

KHALIL JIBRAN – APPROPRIATE FOR ALL PAKISTANIS SINCE LAST 150 YEARS

Being non-conventionalist I believe in my REJECTION THEORY. How would my approach manifest in real world, I do not know myself? I always wonder, how to show, my world imagination, to those, who are fully overwhelmed by West and their culture/civilization’s dazzling charm for their whole life? Very few in our society dare to speak truth. Fewer dare to listen the truth. Much fewer who accept truth and much smaller in number who act on truth. We as nation are reactive mob, lacking systematic or analytical approach, because we all are groomed through skewed wisdom/vision during our Macaulay system of education spanning over 20 years. For past more than 125 years, we’ve waited for “somebody from our western style Schools/Colleges/Universities, SO-CALLED SEAT OF LEARNING” to do a miracle. But alas it is DISGUSTING TOTAL FAILURE for more than 125 years in all fields and it will be failure for next 2000 years. We as nation do not hate fire but the ONE who shout FIRE. We are not afraid of failure rather afraid only to accept ourselves as failure even if we are fail. We as a nation are failed in all field. Starting from medicine, engineering, banking, politics, science only due to our flawed and impractical education system. You name any field and we are total failure. We have fabricated excuses and so called fallacies of our total failure. Namely Low literacy Rate, Mullah, Sectarianism,
India, Defence etc 

 

KHALIL JIBRAN – APPROPRIATE FOR ALL PAKISTANIS SINCE LAST 150 YEARS 

Pity the nation that is full of beliefs and empty of religion.Pity the nation that wears a cloth it does not weave, eats a bread it does not harvest,and drinks a wine that flows not from its own wine-press. 

Pity the nation that acclaims the bully as hero,and that deems the glittering conqueror bountiful.Pity a nation that despises a passion in its dream,yet submits in its awakening.  

Pity the nation that raises not its voice save when it walks in a funeral,boasts not except among its ruins,and will rebel not save when its neck is laid between the sword and the block. 

Pity the nation whose statesman is a fox, whose philosopher is a juggler,and whose art is the art of patching and mimicking. 

Pity the nation that welcomes its new ruler with trumpeting,and farewells him with hooting, only to welcome another with trumpeting again. 

Pity the nation whose sages are dumb with yearsand whose strong men are yet in the cradle.  

Pity the nation divided into fragments, each fragment deeming itself a nation. 

MACAULAY’S CHILDREN

            Pakistan including many 3rd world counties like India,
Bangladesh, Srilanka etc have never been freed by Capitalist West. For their rule they produced present ruling westernized intelligencia i.e. Macaulay’s children (Brown Goras). The term Macaulay’s children are used to refer to people born of Indian ancestry who adopt western culture as a lifestyle, or display attitudes influenced by colonizers. These are 0.05 percent of the society, (viz Uniform, Politicians, Educationist, Bureaucracy, Business Communities). Such former colonies have never been freed neither their masses are shown the complete picture of World Masters loot/plunder and about the wild West and their traders(present day MNCs)’ which have enslaved more than 90 % of the whole globe for last 200/250 years in name of freedom, modernity and survival of fittest.

 

Our values/culture are superior from West in any comparison. As a simple example we had never slavery for last 1000 years in
India and it was eradicated gradually from almost all those regions which were under our influence directly/indirectly. But Wild West aggressively promoted slave trade for their economic boom during industrial revolution, only 100 years ago. For any economic activity you need 1st Capital 2nd Human Resource 3rd Land. They grabbed all these from others, it is/was greatest exploitation in the human known history. We should also not forget inhumane business wars for opium in China just like CIA invented/introduced Heroin in
South America, Vietnam and Last of all Afghanistan/Pakistan. However our blind academics/teachers will never tell us about this ugly face of West. There is not single developed country (Japan, China,
Russia, Germany etc) which had switched from native language to English. These developed nations even when learn English, will speak in their own accents. But we are forced to learn/speak English in our Masters accent. Some Macaulay’s children justify their existence by quoting example of
Spain. However to keep the record correct after Spain take over by European, within 20/30 years, all mosques, language and various Muslim cultural heritages were ceased/finished. Unlike us where still best schools are considered to be Church Schools (Christian Mudrassah Schools) or A/O Level. Where churches will be in the heart of all our Major Capital cities (Karachi/Lahore/Queta/Peshawar) Sadder Area. When you reject some thing, you reject in totality not by bits/pieces.

           

Macaulay was a remarkable visionary capable of devising policies which brought a windfall of success for his nation throughout the colonial period and afterwards. He served his nation as a member of parliament, secretary to the board of control, first law member of the governor-general’s council, secretary-at-war, an English Whig lawyer, politician, re-drafted Indian penal code, essayist and poet. His education still enact in almost all former colonies produced present day Army and West written Army Act is still intact (almost 98 percent) in states like India, Pak, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. After the freedom war or the sepoy mutiny (1857), the East India Company is abolished by the British crown. Because people got fed up with exploitation for more than 150 years by company. Then began the rule of the `Saab Bahadars’ of the Crown for the next 100 years before the British left of their own free will due to their domestic compulsions. During these 100 years Crown laid down foundation of Macaulay institution like Army, Congress/Muslim League, Politics, Education, Bureaucracy. They empowered few families and minorities were made more and more powerful. Sons of lands (As an example Pathans: the ultimate leaders of Indopak for past 800 years) were crushed socially, economically and academically, this process is still in progress. It must sound strange but history has either been written by West, collaborators or their followers. Those who were/are loyal to West/East India Company were/are made stronger and stronger. After 1947 another era of so called freedom or era of puppets starts, where countries/former colonies are exploited/manipulated through evil nexus of few hundred MNCs and crop of Macaulay’s children (so called brown elite class). Macaulay’s children are the one who speaks/understands their previous masters language, laws , values and code of ethics. They dress accordingly and run former colonies according to whishes of their western Masters. Some collaborators/puppets are visible like Karzai, Iraqi Govts while some are exposed after disgraceful death like Saddam/Yaser Arafaat.

            Imperialism has been the most powerful force in the world history over the last two centuries, carving up whole globe while oppressing indigenous peoples/leaders and obliterating especially entire Muslim Leadership. As result in most of the 3rd countries minority has been imposed over majority thus systematically blocking path for any emergence for real Leadership/Development. Yet, it is seldom accorded any serious attention by our sick academics, media commentators, and political leaders. As an example if we study Muslim leadership in past 1200 years, we can easily figure out Arabs, Kurds, Turks and Pathans. The point is not to prove/support leadership based on racism but to highlight the interesting fact that these fantastic four were never known in history prior to Islam. They emerged only after embracing Islam in totality and Muslim leadership was contained in these great fours. In present downward cycle of Muslim, Imperialism prior to leaving divided Muslim areas in a manner that these great four does not have a united/single geographic entity.

            To what extent West will benefit us? West is blind and growing wild day by day for commercial reasons. They left former colonies for commercial reasons when they could not afford to keep it. They discarded the land/local heritage and replaced it with the Western systems and created institution/systems for protecting their puppets/collaborators. Their efforts for modernization are/were more for commercial and security reasons rather than any love for human and morals. They left Pakistan, India, Srilanka and
Bangladesh in hands of their produced Macaulay’s children those are baboos, petty bureaucracy, lawyers, doctors and engineers before the culture of high learning (research etc) could be introduced. They came here for loot and left only for continuing loot. West will never do any thing for a common man or humanity. The term Macaulay’s children show the specific behavior of disloyalty to one’s country and one’s heritage. The passage to which the caption refers is taken from a minute Lord Macaulay wrote on Indian education. It reads:

 

“It is impossible for us, with our limited means, to attempt to educate the body of the people. We must at present do our best to form a class who may be interpreters between us and the millions whom we govern; a class of persons, Indian in blood and color, but English in taste, in opinions, in morals, and in intellect. To that class we may leave it to refine the vernacular dialects of the country, to enrich those dialects with terms of science borrowed from the western nomenclature, and to render them by degrees fit vehicles for conveying knowledge to the great mass of the population.” 

“I have travelled across the length and breadth of India and I have not seen one person who is a beggar, who is a thief, such wealth I have seen in this country, such high moral values, people of such calibre that I don’t think we would ever conquer this country unless we break the very backbone of this nation which is her spiritual and cultural heritage and, therefore, I propose that we replace her old and ancient education system, her culture, for if the Indians think that all that is foreign and English is good and greater than their own, they will lose their self-esteem , their native culture and they will become what we want them, a truly dominated nation”. 

Should we mug up our state of affairs right from the independence, we find we have been governed till date by the class of people trained in accordance with the desired standards set out by the Macaulay theory. Would the system that derives strength from the Macaulay doctrine bring any change in our lives? Civil society must strive hard and support sons of soils those who are eligible to challenge the West and lead the masses. I present a few verses from Faiz Ahmed Faiz and few lines from the song of renowned Jamaican artist, Bob Marley (1945-1981) &. He said:

 

If you look at the city from here, you’d realize that in the entire crowd,

There’s nobody really dignified, nobody truly sagacious;

Every young man’s neck in a noose,

Every woman a branded slave

Faiz Ahmed Faiz 

 

Get up, stand up

Stand up for your rights

Get up, stand up

Don’t give up the fight.

Bob Marley 

Thank you and Best Regards

 

FM Shah

WALI ZAHID APPRAISAL: JUDGMENT/EVALUATION WITHOUT ANY RATING

An idea that is not dangerous is not worthy of being called an idea at all.

— Oscar Wilde

Given our increased focus on PA course and our rejoicing/claim of our newly discovered uniqueness of PA course/class, we need to make sure we don’t forget this. We learnt by drilling in knowledge rather than stimulating imagination about human performance. As student I have always rebelled against rote learning whether presently during SZABIST or before in PAF/NUST, and that attitude helped make me the type of writer I am. Likewise, our success will be determined not just by how well we hold seminar or present nicely our so-called projects, write fake reports professionally and follow the deadlines set by our CR at his convenience but by how well we promote/reward imagination and creativity.

I am slow in learning how to convince the people. That combined with a cheeky rebelliousness toward authority, have always lead my teachers/instructors to grade me low or threaten me with F Grade and some amused me by declaring that I would never amount to much. These traits some time make me the patron saint of distracted person/student everywhere. Nevertheless it always helps me with my expression especially in my writing.

My cocky contempt for authority leads me to question received wisdom. And as for my poor convincing style, lead me to think and observe with wonder the everyday phenomena that others takes for granted. I always tried to explain to my course fellows that performance and appraisals thoughts produced and cherished by us in class are not unique and clearly wrong because at the end it is not an iota different from those available in books/net. I always tried to explain that human performance is full of wonders, and we should try to picture the underlying reality of human/employee performance in global culture and environment of the organization. How would such thoughts manifest in real business world? I still wonder, how to show, my business dreams and world imagination, to those, who are fully overwhelmed by West and their culture/civilization’s dazzling charm for whole of their life? A genius is one who shoots at something no one else can see, and hits it.

My impudence and lack of deference to authority so far alienated all of my teachers who claimed to unique and some how it also includes our beloved Wali Zahid. As a result, I will be the only one in his PA course who willnot
PASS. However I always avoid challenging the authority or norms set by teachers (and their CR) who think that their courses are typical and do not proclaim to be unique. But it was really impossible for me in PA Class since we were supposed to cherish and value the uniqueness of the course. But lest you feel sorry for me, this attitude allowed me to do thought-experiments and encouraged me to be skeptical about conventional wisdom, unlike the well-heeled acolytes in our class.

Among my thought-experiments, one of the adventures was my Project, in which I was trying to tell about human being and their performance considering organizational culture as global issue not local. It will be a simple insight to events that appears to each one of us, every day. I have rebelliousness, a willingness not to conform and I tried to discard the notions so far about performance, which had been a sacred tenet of all our discussion during our class. 

 “Long live impudence,” Einstein proclaimed as a young man. “It’s my guardian angel in the world.” If we’re going to succeed, we have to be careful to nurture and reward the imagination — even the impudence, violating deadline and rebelliousness against norms — that is the wellspring of any genius and his creativity.

Like my all previous teachers, Sir Wali Zahid is really uncomfortable and he feels pity about me however I know at his heart he wants to help me and my projects fellow. However he is helpless due to his grading criterion which he considers highly objective while highly subjective according to some. His ratings/labels have directed attention away from the original work and creativity toward the defense of what is meant ‘good’ or ‘great’ by Wali Zahid. His ratings are the source of negativity in class (Blog Comments) and will be host of bad memories in future also. In Olympic sports, athletic are judged by a panel of experts. It is an amazing thing that the best judges in the world all look at the same person at the same time and make different rating/grading. Therefore claim of Sir Wali Zahid about his grading criterion as absolute and objective vary, based on who is observing. Our work in class is a human phenomenon and it is not as absolute and quantitative as it may appear to Sir Wali. What is measured is not always what is rated—Many instruments designed by Sir Wali do not reflect the actual content of the efforts and quality of the individual student.

Nothing pains people more than having to think.

— Martin Luther King, Jr.Many great ideas have been lost because the people who had them couldn’t handle being laughed at. I alone have dared to discard the notion of his absolute objective criterion, which had been a sacred tenet of our class. Since my efforts and creativity will not help therefore he has promised me a Grade if whole class pleads my case. With these words my case is open for comments for all those who want to help me. Sir Wali has assured that all brave souls that their grades will not affected by their bravery and courage for truth.

Don’t just do something, stand there.

— Daniel Berrigan,

If I look wired and confused it’s because I think.

— Samuel Goldwyn

PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL DENIED FACTS

You all will agree that anything bothering us must be brought up for discussion. Bringing up the uncomfortable stuff is the only way to evaluate how well we communicate, negotiate, and work together as group. We should never be afraid to let other know what bothers us. This is also a way for us to test how vulnerable we can be with each other.

Very few in our society dare to speak truth. Fewer dare to listen to the truth. Much fewer who accept truth and much smaller in number who act on truth. We as nation are reactive mob, which lack systematic or analytical approach, because we all are groomed through skewed wisdom/vision during our education spanning over 20 years. We as nation do not hate fire but the ONE who shout FIRE. We are not afraid of failure rather afraid only to accept ourselves as failure even if we are fail. We as a nation are failed in all field. Starting from education, medicine, engineering, banking, politics, science. You name any field and we are total failure. Like fallacies of appraisal there are so called fabricated excuses and fallacies of our total failure. Namely Education, Mullah, Sectarianism,
India, Army Rule. etc etc

In last class, with the necessary sensitivity, I was disappointed by the comment that I should have not referred to Quran/Islam. Why? I can refer to any Book but not Quran. I can refer to any Philosophy like socialism, capitalism but not Islam. It’s beyond my comprehension. Islam is not a religion rather a DEEN i.e. A Way of life. I always think why we are so irritated by anyone/thing which is related to Islam. As I said earlier that we do not have any systematic or analytical power, because we all are groomed through skewed wisdom/vision therefore for us Islam/Quran seems irrelevant in all our problems. For past 100 years, we’ve waited for “somebody from our western style Schools/Colleges/Universities, SO-CALLED SEAT OF LEARNING” to do a miracle. But alas it is DISGUSTING TOTAL FAILURE for more than 100 years in all fields and it will be failure for next 1000 years.

Some of my fellows objected to comparing TABLEEGHI JAMAAT as NGO with Southwest Airlines. If I am wrong, please correct me by identifying any NGO in the whole world which every year mobilize more than 3 Million people in different parts of world for its annual gathering and they have presence across the globe in every city. TABLEEGHI JAMAAT (only 30/40 years old) as NGO and Southwest as Airlines are organizations wherein members/employees are productive and efficient. TABLEEGHI JAMAAT and Southwest Airlines both are similar with each other from culture point of view however very different from rest of NGOs and Airlines. Instead of the blue sport coats worn by other airlines, a uniform of short pants and polo shirts is a summer standard for Southwest Airlines employees. The pilots and flight attendants might sing or tell jokes to passengers, but they are serious about customer service and efficient operations. Similarly TABLEEGHI do not use IT, technology, HRM or appraisals but still they are best in networking. So far no western educated Muslim (those including LUMS/IBA/SZABIST graduates) have not given us any such high performance NGO, organization, product or brand. The glory is not serving in Shell, BP, BC, Microsoft, Google, Coke, Unilever but making such giants. The similar working style of Southwest Airlines and TABLEEGHI JAMAAT implies a relaxed environment, their levity indicates a certain degree of openness, and shared responsibilities of the front line and management solidify the importance of—above all—getting the job done. It is no wonder that Southwest Airlines have been the most consistently profitable airline over the past decade. At the same time TABLEEGHI JAMAAT is wonderful growing NGO during past 3 decades. I am not preaching you to join TABLEEGHI JAMAAT or judging them as absolute RIGHT/WRONG but trying to highlight the essence of culture in TABLEEGHI JAMAAT. Just imagine a MNC or business which has similar culture and exponential growth like TABLEEGHI JAMAAT. AT SAME TIME I AM ALSO NOT TRYING UNDERMINING MY SHIITE BROTHER’S FAITH. My Shiite brothers can identify/explain their own version of glories and wonders to us from our own soil. What I am trying to prove that wonders/miracles will be done only with REJECTION (INKAR). The GUTS for rejection will not come from Western Style Schools/Colleges/Universities but will only come through Quran and Islam. Any version of Islam (i.e. Shiaism, Wahabism, and Sunnism etc) may work for this rejection (INKAR).

Another example to which some of my fellows objected was comparing performance of US Marines with Taliban. Dr Lee in his Book “Performance Conversation” has mentioned US Marines Corps as world’s finest military organization. According to Author Dr Lee it has been in battle for well over two centuries and its reputation has become synonymous with success. Marine Corps is unique in both its success, weapons and technology. Despite the fact that US Marines weapons, tactics, and resources are much more/advanced than Taliban, the Corps has a very low performance in
Afghanistan if compared with Taliban. Taliban unrelenting pursuit of success is evident in all resistance to US in past six years without any resources. I am not saying that Taliban are absolute RIGHT and US Marine wrong or vice versa. What I want to highlight is uniqueness in the Taliban culture, their morale and commitment to hard work. Culture, morale, commitment and hard work are more critical for performance than appraisal.

I have got serious reservations about Taliban and TABLEEGH overall philosophy but at the same I have to acknowledge following the reason for their success as a Management and HR student.

1. Their leaders have ensured that their culture supports individual performance.
2. Work/Processes have been designed to keep their members engaged.
3. Their superiors are partner with members in a way that allows them to do their best work.
4. Each system within the Taliban and TABLEEGH are aligned and coordinated to achieve optimal performance.

I was also disappointed as I was unable to raise class interest in proposed Model from the teaching of Imam Ghazali for optimum human performance. May be I was unable to explain following premises for this model due to shortage of time:-

1. Performance will be optimum if we have good human beings.
2. For any system/machine its Manufacture Manual has to be consulted. For optimum human performance we have to consult Manual given by its CREATOR.
3. All prevalent Western Performance/Appraisals Models is concerned with employees 10 hours during office/work. Human can’t be divided between ON/OFF work. Because at back of our mind we have our work even when we are in home and vice versa. What is effect on the performance of employee, incase he is at ease in his home or he has discomfort in his home? He spends whole night drinking at bar. Will his performance be the same in case he takes sound sleep with his family? Therefore we need a model which addresses the issue in totality on larger canvas of organization and society not just individual unit as an employee. Kindly refer to the comment of Herb Kelleher CEO Southwest at the end of this email.
4. This model seems to me one of real motive for successful performance of all Muslims as individual/group in past. As I said earlier that I do not consider Taliban/ TABLEEGHI absolute right and they do not follow this Model from top to bottom but nevertheless due to their immaturity and innocence they think that they are following this model.

“It’s not my purpose to shock you – but the simplest way I can summarize is to say that there are in the world, humans that peep, that gossip and that discuss freely even the greatest taboos you could find around. Moreover their ability to do these things has what made them damned in the eyes of many who are acclaimed as chosen ones – the range of issues they can handle is coexistent with the nature of their ability to speak openly without any boundaries, limits or constraints.”

Abu Ja’far Muhammad ibn Musa Al-Khwarizmi

I pray for all of your legitimate dreams to come true. Always think positive and try to spend valuable life not only for you but for others also.

Only Urs

FM Shah

 

People will forget what you said…

People will forget what you did…

But people will never forget how you made them feel…

“I’ve tried to create a culture of caring for people in the totality of their lives, not just at work. There’s no magic formula. It’s like building a giant mosaic–it takes thousands of little pieces….The intangibles are more important than the tangibles. Someone can go out and buy airplanes from Boeing and ticket counters, but they can’t buy our culture, our esprit de corps.”

Herb

Kelleher CEO Southwest Wall Street

Journal 8/31/99 

Dirty Dozen (Twelve Reasons Why PA Ratings Don’t Work)

 

1. Ratings are past oriented—The goals of performance management are to maintain good performance, correct current performance, and improve future performance.

 

2. What is measured is not always what is rated—Many instruments are designed with seven to ten indices that do not reflect the actual content of the position or the expertise of the individual employee.

 

3. Describing and measuring what is “good” is often difficult to define within the constraints of an appraisal form. What is considered “good” varies greatly.

 

4. Supervisors do not always keep accurate records of performance, and therefore generalize good and bad performance. Most appraisals use a sample of performance, highlighting the major events and problem events, but ignoring consistent, positive performance over time.

 

5. Rater biases are well documented. There are almost a dozen known phenomena that prove supervisors tend to rate employees inaccurately because of subconscious tendencies.

 

6. Ratings are commonly based upon the supervisor’s assessment alone. Employees have information that the supervisor does not and are present one hundred percent of the time. Therefore, employees need input into the performance management process.

 

7. Ratings are often inflated conflict avoidance or encouragement for poor performers is among the many reasons why ratings are inflated.

 

8. Raters may rate some higher or lower than others for the same performance. What is “good” not only varies by who is rating the performance, but also by the employee being rated.

 

9. Misuse of the idea that nobody is perfect. Managers feel an obligation to rate some employees lower so that it appears that they are properly supervising by identifying areas of improvement, even when it is not warranted.

 

10. Not all work activities that are important are found on ratings scales.

 

11. Different jobs often require different rating scales.

 

12. Rating scales sometimes do not include behavioral factors, which are often as important as performance indices

 

 

Poetic Window : Faiz Ahmed Faiz

If you look at the city from here, you’d realize that in the entire crowd,There’s nobody really dignified, nobody truly sagacious;Every young man’s neck in a noose,

Every woman a branded slave

Characteristics that Create an Ideal Work Situation

 

The Work Itself (good jobs)	The Work Environment (the Culture)
Rich job content Interesting work Increasing responsibility Challenge Achievement Use of various skills at work Variety of tasks within a particular job Holistic work (a clear work product) Satisfying work Important work Freedom and autonomy to act	Trust Support Environment that includes caring Genuine appreciation Collaboration on work-related issues Choice about what is done and how it is done Positive and enjoyable work climate Performance feedback Recognition for achievement Opportunity for growth Opportunity for advancement

 

 

 

What is Performance? Various Dimensions

What is Performance? Various Dimensions 

Performance dimensions can be a combination of traits, behaviors, and results used to measure or describe desired performance. There are dimensions specific to the individual, specific to the goals of the organization, or that are only related to certain kinds of positions, such as managerial responsibilities. The number and type of performance criteria are limitless. For any given job there are probably dozens of different performance dimensions. Following are some typical measures of performance:

 

• Job Knowledge         

• Creativity

• Quality of Work

• Problem-Solving

• Quantity of Work

• Decision-Making

• Adaptability

• Fiscal Management

• Dependability

• Personnel Management

• Interpersonal Relations

 • Staff Development

• Communication Skills

• Planning and Assessment

• Attitude

• Professional Development

• Attendance

• Employee Diversification

• Initiative

• Technological Competence

• Knowledge Of The Company

• Time Management

• Professionalism

• Professionalism

• Time Management

• Computer literacy

• Efficiency

 

ACCORDING TO EXPERTS : PA

  

All performance appraisals systems are flawed, they are manipulative, abusive, autocratic, and counterproductive.

—Noe, Human Resources Management, p. 329 

When an impartial observer looks at the way most evaluations are conducted, he or she has to conclude that they are biased and unfair.

—Robinson, How to Conduct Employee Performance Appraisals, p. A-2 

Organizations tend to change their forms every three to five years, hoping that a new form will solve their problems. Not unsurprisingly, the form is the answer. Almost every organization attempts to evaluate performance—but few really acknowledge the failure of the process.

—Robinson, How to Conduct Employees Performance Appraisals, p. 4 

People do not want another form. They do want challenge, trust, a work climate that balances freedom and support, and genuine appreciation for their unique talents and contributions.

—Coens and Jenkins, Abolishing Performance Appraisals, p. xx 

Eliminating quantitative ratings makes an incredible difference in the climate of any discussion about performance. It is the key to constructive discussions about work accomplishments.

—Drake, Performance Appraisals, p. 46 

Good Managers Create Good Performers

Any individual’s performance is, to a considerable extent, a function of how he (or she) is managed.

—Kohn, Punished By Rewards, p. 129 

Performance review is the worst time to give feedback to an employee. You are nervous and the recipient is taking an acid bath. These conditions are not conducive to a productive conversation about performance.

—Maurer, The Feedback Toolkit, p. 12 

The best performance review system in the world easily can be brought to its knees by the way an individual manager delivers a review to an employee.

—Deblieux, Performance Appraisal Source Book, p. 27 

Individual Vs. System

It has been said that if we put good performers in bad systems, the systems will win every time.

—Ripley, “Improving Employee Performance,” p. 1 

A Happy Place

“Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work.”

—AristotleEmployees Hate Appraisals

Almost everyone complains about performance evaluations. Employees dislike them because they feel powerless getting a “report card” that is based on arbitrary, confusing, and biased factors.

—Robinson, How to Conduct Employees Performance Appraisals, p. A-1 

Multiple Goals and Multiple Conflicts

PA systems fail largely because they are designed with conflicting goals.

—Drake, Performance Appraisals, p. 11 

Meaningful Work Second

Enriched jobs and supportive work environments motivate people to strive for good performance.

—Benham, “Performance Appraisal: A Radical View,” p. 159 

Future

Focus on the future. The purpose of most performance appraisals is to improve performance—in the future. Get off past events as quickly as possible, and discuss ways you can work together in the future.

 

—Maurer, The Feedback Toolkit, p. 55 

Join the new millennium and leave the appraisal in the past.

—Coens, Abolishing Performance Appraisals, p. 6The magic comes when two people communicate, break through their problems and obstacles, celebrate their success, and plan for more.—K. McKirchy 

“The time to correct an employee’s mistake is when it happens. Don’t allow an error to become a habit”

McKirchy, 1994, p. 11).