How did our world become so focused on the short-term? It has really become a “what have you done for me lately” culture that has gripped our world. Yes, to be successful a company needs to have some short-term success. But it isn’t the only thing that matters. Companies and individuals not only have to look at the short-term, but more importantly make sure that those short-term goals are aligned with long-term objectives. If what the company has set out to do in the short-term will not help achieve its long-term vision, it doesn’t matter.

This isn’t a view that is only for organizations – individuals need to take this view also in terms of their performance and development. Let’s, for example, look at the performance review. I’ve railed on about my annoyance with how performance reviews are handled. Managers need to not only look at what the individual has done in the short-term in terms of decision making, but also take a long-term view on whether the individual has improved their performance, knowledge, and skills from one year to the next. Short-term issues need to be handled immediately, so that it can help their development over the long-term in becoming a better employee.

Let’s get away from this short-term mindset. As an organization, what are you doing to improve overall performance and effectiveness over the next 5 years? Do you have long-term objectives, and if you do, are your short-term goals being used as stepping stones to reach those 5 year goals? Long-term performance and sustainability cannot be achieved by looking through a short-term windshield – you won’t see that cliff three miles down the road, and you won’t see a long-term trend of improvement.

When you are at the lower levels of the organization, or not in a formal leadership or management position, the best way to lead is through your actions. People will take notice of how you act and what decisions you are making. If your manager is good, and you work for those who are observant, you will be notice and recognized. People will be more likely to follow along and act in the same manner if they see you getting ahead by doing the right thing. Especially if it comes to a change program, your actions can speak louder than words. If people see you being a champion through your actions, they will be more likely to jump on board as well.

Leadership is about communication – and the method used to communicate will vary by your level. You non-verbal actions will say a lot about you and what you believe.

First, getting a review on how you are doing once a year doesn’t cut it. How are you supposed to improve during the year? How do you know what you are doing wrong if you are only told once a year? Managers too often rely on the annual review to actual work with their subordinates on improvement and what they are doing wrong. It is the incorrect way to approach the situation. A manager should tell their employee immediately if they are doing something wrong, so they can fix it and work on their improvement. And what are the chances the manager is going to remember from the past year all of the bad and good things a person has done? They won’t. Reviewing performance should be a constant thing. Work with the employees to let them know what they are doing wrong, and work with them to fix it. Use the annual review to look at the things that need to be corrected, and what the employee has done to fix them.

Second, performance reviews all too often focus on the negative. I wrote recently about focusing on the positive. I think performance reviews should look at what the employee is good at – what their strengths are, and use those sessions to helping the individual improve those strengths. How many times in a performance review have you been told what you’ve done right, or what you are good at? And how much of the time focused on the positives instead of the negatives? Everyone has strengths. It is up to the manager to discover their subordinates strengths and put them to work. Obviously, you can’t focus just on the positives. If an employee has a behavioral issue, that needs to be dealt with right away. Or if they are lacking a skill needed to do their job effectively – that needs to be addressed through training. But also look at the positives, and what the employee is good at, even if you discover their strengths aren’t suited for their current position. It will improve them – and yourself and your organization – in the long run.

Third, use performance reviews as a session for planning your development. It is in your benefit as a manager, and to the benefit of the employee, if you work together to develop a plan for developing a person and helping them achieve their career goals. Talk about what interests the employee, what their strengths are and what they should focus on, and talk about the additional training necessary to help them reach their goals. Set goals for the upcoming year, and make those goals meaningful. Don’t set worthless goals such as “generate 50 more TPS reports each quarter”. That isn’t improvement. Improvement is personal and focuses on your strengths. Set up a plan of what to focus on the upcoming year.

Poor management and stifling corporate policy gets in the way of making the performance review process useful. Make it a continuous process that focuses on the employees strengths, behavioral modification needs, and planning for their development.