How do I do a performance review?
Short answer
Have them quarterly, not annually. Three things: what's going well, what needs to change, what's next. Specific examples on each.
Why quarterly
A year is too long to fix anything. Quarterly reviews catch problems early and give raises a structure. Nobody is surprised at the annual review because they've had three already.
Structure
15 minutes of you talking, with specific examples and a clear path forward. 15 minutes of them talking, where you mostly listen. End with one written commitment from each side.
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