Work Rules: Two Truths of Performance Evaluation Systems

The shortage of critical talent will continue to impact all industries and contractors who master talent will be the winners.

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Performance evaluation systems are a critical part of mastering talent through talent development and is one of the nine key processes

Leadership Tools: Two Truths about Performance Review Systems: No one likes the current system and no one likes the planned changes to the system. Book: Work Rules! by Laszlo Bock

With the construction industry having such a shortage of talent, the contractors that will dominate tomorrow will be the ones that have developed systems for quickly building skills within their teams.

The foundation of great coaching like John Wooden is about being able to give rapid and actionable feedback.

Longer term feedback, including career development planning, requires a more formalized structure that is consistent across the business. There is no perfect system, so you should always be watching the results and improving with each cycle: PDCA

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Laszlo Bock defines it best in his fantastic book called Work Rules.

There are two truths about performance review systems.  

  • Truth One: No one likes the current system.  
  • Truth Two: No one likes the planned changes to the system.  

Remember that all great evaluation systems start with a clear job description.




Resource - Stratified Systems Theory (SST) and Timespan 101
All contractors navigate through very predictable stages of growth delivering larger and more complex projects. Business complexity evolves requiring different capabilities at all levels. Tom Foster lays out some of these key differences very clearly.
Leaders Make Things Fun
Leaders are always looking for ways to make really challenging things fun. This stretches teams and builds the relationships that hold teams together in good times and bad.
Roles of Investment Bankers and Business Brokers
Investment bankers can play a critical role, especially if the exit strategy is selling to a strategic buyer or merger with another contractor.