Progress Meetings Defined

The progress meeting is not an after the fact appraisal meeting. No one is being judged or appraised. It is a proactive coaching meeting designed to produce feedback, conversation, next steps and alignment. It is designed to give power and support not to give judgment and assessment.

As a precursor to progress meetings, employees and managers work together to build a performance agreement based on the employees accountabilities and goals of the employee. Progress meetings are 30 minute meeting every two months to discuss the progress being made towards demonstrating the company values, fulfilling job accountabilities, achievement of goals.

For progress meetings, typically I wear my Sundays finest – kidding – usually I am in just shorts and sandals – kidding again. Dress how you typically dress. Certainly face to face meetings are the best. I like meeting at a coffee shop or restaurant; however, the phone and screen sharing/web conferencing work.

The rest of the progress meeting is a gap analysis between the manager’s and employee’s perceptions of the employee’s job accountabilities, demonstration of the corporate values, and the status of his/her goals. During the meeting, the employee and manager trade views. The meeting is about listening and reflecting. I have participated in this process as both employee and manager and in my opinion listening to the view and scores of the other is the best part. The meeting also lays out a great process from which to hold conversations about performance.

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