HBR Guide to Better Business Writing - Bryan A. Garner 2013

Performance appraisals
Common forms of business writing

Writing performance appraisals, sometimes called employee reviews, needn’t be a dreaded responsibility. As long as you have gathered your facts in advance—reviewed the notes you’ve taken throughout the year, asked others for feedback on the people you supervise, and carefully read people’s self-assessments—the drafting isn’t onerous if you have an ample evaluative vocabulary. I’ve written this chapter so you’ll have some helpful phrases at the ready.

The sample phrases that follow address seven aspects of work: attitude, efficiency, human relations, judgment, knowledge, reliability, and communication skills. But you can adapt the wording to suit whatever qualities you’d like to focus on. Then it’s a matter of pairing the phrases with specifics that support them. For example: “When we had several layoffs last June, Lauren remained utterly calm and collected while demonstrating keen sensitivity to those who lost their jobs. She [fill in whatever particular action was noteworthy].”

Attitude
Superb	✵ shows unwavering commitment ✵ always gives maximal effort ✵ is always friendly and happy to help ✵ always brings out the best in others
Good	✵ shows strong commitment ✵ usually makes a strong effort ✵ is usually friendly and happy to help ✵ usually brings out the best in others
Acceptable	✵ shows adequate commitment ✵ makes an effort ✵ is often friendly and happy to help ✵ is often a positive influence on the group
Needs Improvement	✵ could show more commitment ✵ doesn’t always make an effort ✵ is sometimes quarrelsome ✵ sometimes creates tension within the group
Poor	✵ lacks commitment ✵ rarely makes a real effort ✵ is quarrelsome and sometimes even hostile ✵ often creates tension within the group
Efficiency
Superb	✵ never wastes time or effort ✵ delegates effectively ✵ always completes tasks on time ✵ can manage many projects at a time
Good	✵ rarely wastes time or effort ✵ usually delegates appropriately ✵ almost always completes tasks on time ✵ can manage several projects at a time
Acceptable	✵ usually doesn’t waste time or effort ✵ delegates pretty well ✵ usually completes tasks on time ✵ can manage more than one project at a time
Needs Improvement	✵ sometimes wastes time and effort ✵ tries to do too much without delegating ✵ fails to complete tasks on time ✵ cannot manage more than one project at a time
Poor	✵ often wastes time and effort ✵ usually fails to delegate when appropriate ✵ can’t be counted on to complete tasks on time ✵ struggles to manage even one project at a time
Human relations
Superb	✵ demonstrates keen sensitivity to others and an uncanny ability to understand their needs ✵ participates actively and collegially in meetings ✵ works exceptionally well on teams ✵ relates to customers extremely well
Good	✵ usually demonstrates sensitivity to others ✵ participates effectively in meetings ✵ works effectively on teams ✵ relates to customers well
Acceptable	✵ often demonstrates sensitivity to others ✵ participates adequately in meetings ✵ gets along with fellow team members ✵ relates to customers competently
Needs Improvement	✵ does not always pick up on interpersonal cues ✵ sometimes wastes others’ time in meetings ✵ is sometimes motivated more by personal goals than by team goals ✵ sometimes alienates customers through inattention
Poor	✵ rarely pays attention to others’ reactions ✵ often wastes others’ time in meetings ✵ does not work well on teams ✵ often alienates customers with impoliteness and sarcasm
Judgment
Superb	✵ makes excellent choices and informed decisions ✵ remains utterly calm and collected even in times of crisis ✵ knows precisely which problems need immediate attention and which ones can wait ✵ behaves professionally and appropriately in every situation
Good	✵ makes sound choices and reasonable decisions ✵ remains relatively calm and collected even in times of crisis ✵ generally knows which problems need immediate attention and which ones can wait ✵ behaves professionally and appropriately
Acceptable	✵ generally makes sound choices and informed decisions ✵ remains mostly calm and collected except in times of crisis ✵ does a pretty good job distinguishing between problems that need immediate attention and those that can wait ✵ generally behaves professionally and appropriately
Needs Improvement	✵ sometimes makes poor choices and ill-informed decisions ✵ sometimes lacks the calm and collected demeanor required in high-pressure circumstances ✵ often doesn’t distinguish between problems that need immediate attention and those that can wait ✵ sometimes behaves unprofessionally and inappropriately
Poor	✵ often makes poor choices and ill-informed decisions ✵ often lacks the calm and collected demeanor required in high-pressure circumstances ✵ typically fails to distinguish between problems that need immediate attention and those that can wait ✵ often behaves unprofessionally and inappropriately
Knowledge
Superb	✵ is exceptionally well informed about all aspects of the job ✵ demonstrates extraordinarily comprehensive knowledge ✵ skillfully handles complex assignments without supervision ✵ has a comprehensive knowledge of the industry
Good	✵ is well informed about key aspects of the job ✵ demonstrates thorough knowledge ✵ can handle complex assignments with some supervision ✵ has strong knowledge of the industry
Acceptable	✵ understands the job ✵ demonstrates adequate knowledge ✵ can handle moderately complex assignments with supervision ✵ has an acceptable degree of knowledge of the industry
Needs Improvement	✵ doesn’t fully understand the job ✵ demonstrates less than satisfactory knowledge ✵ sometimes mishandles assignments of moderate complexity, even with supervision ✵ has insufficient knowledge of the industry
Poor	✵ is ill-informed about many aspects of the job ✵ demonstrates inadequate knowledge ✵ mishandles basic assignments ✵ has little knowledge of the industry
Reliability
Superb	✵ always meets deadlines ✵ is unfailingly dependable ✵ achieves excellent results in urgent situations ✵ always delivers on promises
Good	✵ meets deadlines ✵ is highly dependable ✵ achieves good results in urgent situations ✵ almost always delivers on promises
Acceptable	✵ meets most deadlines ✵ is dependable ✵ achieves acceptable results in urgent situations ✵ delivers pretty consistently on promises
Needs Improvement	✵ sometimes fails to meet important deadlines ✵ is sometimes undependable ✵ sometimes fails to achieve acceptable results in urgent situations ✵ sometimes fails to deliver on promises
Poor	✵ often fails to meet important deadlines ✵ is rarely dependable ✵ often fails to achieve acceptable results in urgent situations ✵ can’t be counted on to deliver on promises
Communication skills
Superb	✵ writes and speaks with remarkable clarity ✵ never gets bogged down in unnecessary details ✵ has superior communication skills in person and over the phone ✵ develops and delivers imaginative, clear, and concise presentations
Good	✵ writes and speaks clearly ✵ rarely gets bogged down in unnecessary details ✵ has sound communication skills in person and over the phone ✵ develops and delivers clear, concise presentations
Acceptable	✵ generally writes and speaks clearly ✵ usually avoids getting bogged down in unnecessary details ✵ has adequate communication skills in person and over the phone ✵ develops and delivers acceptable presentations
Needs Improvement	✵ sometimes writes and speaks unclearly and with undue complexity ✵ sometimes gets bogged down in unnecessary details ✵ sometimes struggles to communicate in person and over the phone ✵ develops and delivers presentations in need of further work and polish
Poor	✵ writes and speaks unclearly and with undue complexity ✵ gets bogged down in unnecessary details ✵ fails to communicate effectively in person and over the phone ✵ develops and delivers presentations that ramble and lack clarity

Recap

✵ Prepare by gathering your facts in advance: Keep performance notes throughout the year and review them before writing. Ask other colleagues for feedback on those you’re evaluating. Carefully review the employees’ self-assessments.

✵ Use the sample phrases provided here to help articulate your impressions.

✵ Always pair your general statements with specific examples that support them.

HBR Guide to Better Business Writing - Bryan A. Garner 2013

Performance appraisalsCommon forms of business writing

Performance appraisals
Common forms of business writing