Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Is it performance review time? Your brain thinks its a mammoth and it probably is



Are performance ratings be a thing of the past - just like a mammoth?

One of the most significant things we know about our brain is that it's going to react the same way to a threat (at least initially) whether it is a physical one or a psychological one. Our brains simply don't register the difference until the cortex is actively engaged and even then, managing fear can still be difficult.

It's why we can get anxious, upset, or flippant or aggressive at performance review time. It's the fight or flight system, your amygdala reacting to 'protect' you - what I call 'The Almond Effect.

This video suggests that performance ratings run contrary to the neuroscience.

It suggests a strategic conversational approach instead.

At the last Neuroleadership Conference (San Francisco 2014), it seemed that some companies were leading the move away from ratings to this approach.

Makes sense to me. What do you think?

Watch the video here:

How your brain responds to performance ratings




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