Engineering Managers' Guide to Effective Annual Feedback
As we’re entering the last quarter of the year, the time has come when many tech companies start their yearly feedback cycles, providing formal feedback on the performance of their employees. While time-consuming, if done well, this is a great tool for Engineering Managers to make a difference in the professional life of their reports, so to help, I summarized what I’ve learned about this process during my career.
You might face some frustration about this process, as some find it unnecessarily bureaucratic, so it’s worth going through the values of it. The main goals of a regular, written feedback cycle are:
Hopefully, you’re giving regular feedback on the performance of your team members, but a more official, regular, written feedback cycle can further emphasize achievements and boost morale. Looking back on a successful year can motivate people and increase their engagement.
The self-review part of a typical feedback cycle strengthens self-awareness and career ownership, by forcing your team members to take a step back and critically assess their performance. The resulting ownership attitude will help develop the habit of continuous self-improvement.
