Accurately describing an employee's abilities to maintain performance levels and set priorities helps the employee to shape goals after the appraisal process is complete. Conducting an employee appraisal means using the right phrasing to delineate levels of the employee's abilities, whether they excel or need improvement.
In order for the written feedback on your evaluations to have a long-lasting impact, you need to focus on the individual performance factors that determine the quality and quantity of your employees’ work, such as performance levels and setting priorities. The best strategy is to include targeted phrases that energize an employee to keep up the good work in key areas, while also encouraging employees to focus more carefully on the quality and quantity of their work where needed.
Performance levels
Exceptional: Consistently exceeds expectations
Finds the most effective ways to get the job done
Creates new strategies to improve performance
Improves the performance of others
Focuses abundant energy and effort on the job
Targets efforts for maximum results, and then achieves them
Is motivated to perform at a superior level
Maintains the highest personal performance standards
Is clearly superior in every measurable area of performance
Expects and attains outstanding results
Serves as a highly positive role model in all performance areas
Took a virtually impossible assignment and turned it into a major winner
Set a new high-water mark on the XYZ project
Grabs the brass ring on every project
Dazzles senior management
Excellent: Frequently exceeds expectations
Comes to work ready to excel
Sets high personal performance expectations
Relentlessly pursues outstanding outcomes
Expects more and gets it
Refuses to settle for status-quo performance
Does not know the word average
Is energized by the prospect of achieving challenging goals
Prioritizes work for maximum results
Has a compelling “can-do” attitude
Is undaunted by difficult challenges, tough obstacles, or frustrating events
Plans to succeed and does so
Bounces back from setbacks
Is frequently mentioned by name whenever the topic of outstanding performance comes up
Keeps pushing until the desired outcomes are achieved
Jump-starts stalled projects
Takes great pride not only in meeting goals but in surpassing them
Fully competent: Meets expectations
Is open to new strategies to improve results
Has visibly improved her performance levels
Is steadily upgrading every performance area
Actively seeks strategies to improve performance
Can be counted on for solid performance
Focuses his priorities on maximum effectiveness and success
Maintains focus on the main event
Takes feedback to heart and strives to improve
Focuses on work, not on the clock
Is a stable and consistent performer
Is very interested in suggestions to build performance
Effectively focuses her energy on the job
Marginal: Occasionally fails to meet expectations
Is satisfied with his current performance, despite the fact that it isn’t satisfactory
Prefers to slip under the bar instead of leaping over it
Can be sidetracked by minor obstacles and challenges
Is tolerant of mediocre performance
Regards performance measures as unfair
Has an inflated view of her own work
Insists that improvements in performance are coming soon
Feels that others are intentionally trying to make him look bad
Spends more time as a spectator than as a participant
Comes up short on long-term projects
Spends time on low-priority projects
Is primarily interested in things that have little to do with work
Is rarely around when it’s time for heavy lifting
Does C-level work on A-level projects
Misunderstands the priorities of the job
Unsatisfactory: Consistently fails to meet expectations
Attributes performance problems to other people or circumstances
Fails to take responsibility for her failures
Has received complaints from customers
Has received complaints from management
Has displayed performance levels that have been declining
Talks the performance talk, but does not walk the walk
Has fallen into a habit of questionable performance
Spends more time socializing than working
Shows little interest or motivation in upgrading performance
Doesn’t pay enough attention to the work that needs to be done
Expects others to carry the load
Regards goals as suggestions
Always seeks the easy way out
Is unwilling to accept feedback and guidance
Steps back when it’s time to step up
Setting priorities
Exceptional: Consistently exceeds expectations
Understands and resolves A-level matters before B-level and C-level matters
Uses sound judgment and insights when rank-ordering projects
Serves as a valuable resource to determine the role and priority of totally different tasks
Always knows which projects belong at the top of the list and which belong at the bottom
Easily and quickly singles out low-priority tasks
Clarifies priorities for employees at any job level
Prevents others from pursuing minor projects that superficially appear to be important
Quickly and accurately calibrates project priorities
Excellent: Frequently exceeds expectations
Is keenly aware of the subtleties that make one project more important than another
Places work priorities over personal priorities
Adapts his workload and priorities to meet workplace demands
Breaks projects into logical pieces to make sure that top priorities are handled first
Is able to set priorities when under great pressure
Tackles high-value projects first
Targets efforts on tasks with the largest payoff
Uses multi-tasking to handle low-priority items
Fully competent: Meets expectations
Understands priorities and how to establish them
Discusses priorities when there is confusion
Is unafraid to ask questions about priorities
Shifts priorities as needed
Clarifies and then correctly handles competing priorities
Is very cognizant of priorities and adjusts focus as necessary
Reviews priorities before starting tasks
Marginal: Occasionally fails to meet expectations
Confuses priorities with preferences
Starts working before prioritizing
Uses inappropriate criteria in determining what to do first
Leaves major projects until the end
Argues over priorities
Decides on priorities and rigidly sticks to them, even when situations call for flexibility
Sees unessential matters as essential and vice versa
Lacks insight into her own ability to handle priorities
Is easily sidetracked by low-value tasks
Unsatisfactory: Consistently fails to meet expectations
Ignores priorities of assigned projects
Treats all assignments as having essentially the same priorities
Places no priority on setting priorities
Randomly prioritizes assignments
Works on lowest priorities first
Sees only the small picture
Spends too much time on low-level priorities and too little time on major priorities
Wallows in trivial matters
