Performance Management Starts Before the Review

Performance management often fails before the formal review begins. Employees may be assessed against expectations they do not fully understand or against competencies they have not had a meaningful opportunity to develop. When this occurs, a performance discussion can be unfair to the employee and not helpful for the manager. Preparedness such as training is a practical solution to this problem. It builds the skills employees need to succeed and gives managers the capability to support performance throughout the year. In this sense, training is not an add-on to performance management; it is what makes the process credible, fair, and developmental.

Set and Communicate Clear Performance Expectations

A common assumption in performance management is that once expectations are documented, such as a job description, a work plan, or a set of competencies, employees inherently understand what is required of them. This is a weak assumption. Managers must translate the performance expectations into a focused conversation about priorities, expected results, behavioural standards, decision-making authority, timelines, and measures of progress. Employees should then be able to test their understanding, ask questions, and identify barriers before they are held accountable for the outcome.

This first step in setting an employee up for success is a disciplined expectation-setting process at the beginning of the performance cycle. Municipal HR can support managers with a simple performance-planning framework and training in goal-setting and feedback; regular check-ins should then reinforce expectations as priorities change.

Performance Management Requires Capability on Both Sides

Effective performance management depends on managers’ ability to lead clear, purposeful conversations with employees throughout the year. For these conversations to be effective, managers need more than technical expertise: they need training in articulating expectations, listening, asking questions, providing timely and evidence-based feedback, coaching, documenting agreements, and navigating difficult conversations. These capabilities allow managers to address performance early, constructively, and consistently. Without them, even a well-designed performance framework can become an administrative exercise rather than a meaningful process for improving results.

The second part of the conversation is identifying what an employee needs to succeed. A performance concern may reflect a knowledge or skill gap rather than a lack of effort or commitment. Managers must be able to distinguish the differences, then work with the employee and HR to provide focused training or other developmental support. When learning is connected directly to the capabilities required in the role, it helps close the gap, strengthens day-to-day performance, and gives the employee a fair opportunity to demonstrate improvement. The performance outcome review can then evaluate progress against expectations that were clear and achievable, rather than simply recording a shortfall.

Putting It Into Practice

Municipal HR can translate this approach into practice in two ways. First, make a performance-planning conversation as the starting point of every review cycle. Using a simple framework, managers and employees should agree on priorities, expected results, behavioural standards, measures of success, available supports, and the timing of regular check-ins. This creates the shared understanding needed before performance is assessed.

Second, establish a consistent performance-support process for emerging concerns. Managers should use specific examples and questions to determine whether the issue stems from an unclear expectation, a workplace barrier, or a skill gap. Where a skill gap is confirmed, HR and the manager should identify focused training, practice, coaching, or mentoring, then review progress at subsequent check-ins. This approach keeps the response proportionate, gives employees a genuine opportunity to improve, and provides a sound basis for the eventual performance outcome review.

Conclusion

In the municipal world managers often are not well-equipped or trained to conduct a proper and effective performance review. This is where the HR professionals can play a major role in improving this likely Achillies heel in municipal administration. Think of yourself as a quarterback of a football team. Your knowledge in how to do a performance review is pivotal in helping both managers and employees to have a meaningful review process.  

When training is integrated in the overall culture of the organization performance management becomes a continuous, supported process rather than a once-a-year evaluation. Empower Learning Solutions can support municipalities in designing and delivering the training that helps put these practices into consistent action. The result is clearer accountability, stronger performance, and fairer outcomes for employees, managers, and the continuous success of the municipal administration.