Appraisals are the opportunity for you to thank your people formally for their efforts and congratulate them on their achievements.  However, the focus must always be on what 'good stuff' can be carried forward rather than what 'bad stuff' has to be left behind.

Successful appraisal methods leave you feeling in control of the people in your team and allow you to correct their behaviours.  In turn, your people are left feeling motivated to perform to the level that you need them to.

One of the methods that we advocate is discussion of the behaviours themselves, or the causes of the behaviours, rather that the individual who did the behaving.  For example, the 'negative' applied to the individual within this question can cause problems:

‘Why weren’t you at your desk by 0900 am this morning?”

Depending on how this quite justifiable question was asked, the person on the receiving end can interpret it as a personal attack and will, therefore, immediately go on the defensive.  The portcullis comes down and the chance of resolving the issue to everyone’s satisfaction disappears as the cannon balls start to fly.  The chances of a successful resolution are greatly enhanced if the question is re-phrased as:

‘Did you have a rough time getting in?’

Such re-phrasing offers the opportunity for empathy;

'Yes, I find the traffic on the bypass can be bad at that time of the morning, as well.'

and the chance to agree that one of the symptoms of 'the cause' (heavy traffic) is 'a problem' at work (lateness).  Agreement of the problem can then be moved easily to a discussion of ways to solve said problem;

'Have you tried avoiding the High Street?'

and an agreement to act;

'Try using the route via Upper Lane and let me know how you get on.'

You have thus:

•    Agreed that there is a problem
•    Agreed that there are solutions to the problem
•    Agreed to work towards that solution.

And nobody walks away from the discussion angry...

The next time that someone fails to deliver or does something ‘wrong’, instead of asking,

“What on Earth were you thinking?  Why didn’t you tell me?  What do I pay you for?”

try “What did you learn?” and see how much more motivated everyone is as they walk away from the discussion.