Read below and tell me what’s wrong with this example of a review from the perspective of a manager…

Last Friday at 8:00 a.m., I ushered John into my office for his annual performance review.  This is not my favorite managerial duty, but I think it went rather well.  My goal was to motivate John and improve his performance in our area.  Here’s how it went…

I had completed all of the forms and it was time to have those ‘chats’ that I so look forward to. I called John, the first person on my list. Unfortunately, he was not at his desk, so I casually left a message, “John, would you please come to my office tomorrow morning at 8 a.m. Thanks.”  At 8 the following morning, I usher John into one of the chairs that sit opposite my desk.  I want to keep it informal, so I removed my jacket and leaned back in my high-backed leather chair with my hands behind my head, and said, “I know you’re busy, so I won’t keep you long.  As you know it is time for the annual review and I wanted to go over the highlights with you. First, let me say that you have been doing a wonderful job on the new project. There have been lots of issues, and you’ve dealt with all of them effectively.”  After a few more words of praise, I was unfortunately interrupted by a brief telephone call. I ask him to excuse me and apologized when I was finished. Then, I got to the real issue, “But I am concerned about the lack of progress on the development of your staff.  In talking to them, I get the feeling that you’re not spending enough time building their skills and getting them ready for their next assignment.”  After making a few suggestions about how John can proceed with his staff, I asked him if he agreed with these actions.  He said he did.  Before he left, I told him I would be in touch to ask how he’s doing on these actions and I made certain to remind him of how valuable he had been on the project and asked him to “keep up the good work.”

How did this manager do?  What advice would you give? Please comment, and we’ll begin the discussion of why morale can suffer tremendously in the workplace.