Importance of Evaluating your Executive Director

What is the purpose of a performance review and will it offend our Executive Director?

Perhaps the Board of Directors for your organization has pondered this question and hopefully this blog will start a discussion as to why a performance review is important and how to deliver an appropriate review. Generally, there are three reasons for doing a performance review:

1. To encourage desired behaviors and strong performance
2. To satisfy the ED’s curiosity about how well they are doing
3. To provide a firm foundation for later judgments (raises, transfers, separation)

It is a fundamental drive in human nature to know how well we fit into the organization for which we work. Therefore, most executive directors expect and invite a review. Performance reviews should be based on work plans or expected outcomes for the organization and responsibilities that have been clearly communicated. Factors that are judged in a review tend to fall into two categories: objective judgments and subjective judgments. Objective factors focus on the facts and measurable results while subjective factors tend to represent opinions such as attitude, personality, and adaptability.

Kathy Grochow, NRS, St. Cloud