Goal setting and annual evaluations are standard fare for the human resource roles of association executives and senior managers.
As an association executive, I really disliked the annual staff evaluation sessions. I felt the “grading system” was artificial and failed to adequately provide feedback. This is partly because most executives fear giving staff the top or bottom “grades.”
As the owner of an association management company, I tried to modify the process and eliminate the “grading system” in favor of written comments and no grades. I still wasn’t satisfied that the process was effective.
Our daughter is an awesome first grade teacher in Colorado Springs. She recently came to St. Louis (to help in our office move) right after finishing “parent-teacher conferences.” You know, the part where the teacher gets to tell the parents about their children’s progress in school. And, first grade parents are always nervous because of the importance of that grade.