Supporting colleagues through their PDR

Reviewers

One of the most important roles of a manager is to support your team to develop the skills, capabilities and behaviours needed for their development and to excel in their roles and contribute to the University's performance. As a people leader, self-reflection is useful in considering how well you feel that you approach development and performance discussions. This self assessment will help you assess how well you support team’s development and performance.

Some key areas for you to focus on before the review meeting:

review last year’s PDR objectives and Personal Learning and Development goals;
what have been the key achievements?
how have you seen them develop their skills and contribute to the team?
what feedback do you want to give them? Consider and plan how you will do this;
what are the potential objectives and development areas for the next review cycle?
what feedback do you think the employee may have for you?

Questioning, listening and adopting a coaching style

It is important for reviewers to ask both open and probing questions.

Open questions

Open questions are general rather than specific; they enable people to decide how they should be answered and encourage them to talk freely. They typically begin with words like what, how, why, or tell me about and allow the respondent to share their thoughts, experiences, or opinions freely.

Example: "What are your career goals?"

Purpose: To gather general information, encourage discussion, and explore topics in depth.

Probing questions

Probing questions dig deeper into a topic, following up on an initial response to gain more clarity, insight, or specific details. They are often used after an open question to explore reasoning, feelings, or evidence further.

Example: "Can you give me an example of a time when you applied that skill?"

Purpose: To clarify responses, uncover deeper insights, and encourage critical thinking.

Coaching questions to help your conversations

Coaching questions are thought-provoking, open-ended questions designed to help individuals reflect, gain clarity, and take ownership of their personal or professional development. They encourage self-discovery, problem-solving, and goal setting rather than providing direct solutions.

Key characteristics of coaching questions:

Open-ended – Avoid "yes" or "no" answers to promote deeper thinking.
Reflective – Encourage individuals to examine their experiences, challenges, and goals.
Empowering – Help individuals find their own solutions rather than offering advice.
Action-oriented – Guide individuals toward setting and achieving goals.

What do you expect from your colleague on a day to-day basis in their role?

Coaching questions:

what do you feel is expected of you in your role?
where should you find information about what is expected of you? What can I do to help?
what does exceptional performance look like?’
what contributes to your day-to-day success? What do you do well?
what hinders your success? What do you not do so well?
how can you make your day-to-day work more successful?
what satisfaction do you take from your work and what will it take for you to really enjoy it?

What development does your colleague need to deliver in their role and / or progress in their career?

Coaching questions:

what are your career goals? What aspirations do you have?
what would you need to be successful in your objectives/career progression?
what do you need to do differently to be successful in your objectives/career?
what do you need to stop doing to be more successful?
what support do you need from me to contribute to your success?
when will you know you have succeeded? How will you know?

What is someone’s specific contribution to the Library this year?

Coaching questions:

what is the level of knowledge regarding the Library / Directorate / Team priorities? Are there any gaps that I can assist with?
how do you see your role contributing to what we want to achieve as a Library / Directorate / Team? What influence do you feel you have over them?
what success have you had that you believed contributed to our strategic priorities?
looking at what you need to achieve, how will you measure success? How will these measures relate to the Library/Directorate/team success measures?

What behaviours or attributes are needed to effectively deliver this role?

Coaching questions:

how would you describe your approach to work ?
how do your ways of working contribute to your success?
what works for you / what doesn't work for you?
what might you change about you ways of working to be more successful in your role?
how do you engage with others in your role? How would you describe these relationships? what can you do to make them more successful?
what feedback do you need to get about your approach to work Who do you need to ask / speak to?

Self-assessment - How well do I support performance development?

As a people leader, self-reflection is useful in considering how well you feel that you approach development and performance discussions. You may want to reflect on how you have managed the review cycle. Use the following questions to help identify areas where you may want to focus and strengthen your skills. Add relevant areas into your own development plan.

Questions	Yes / No
Do I conduct 1:1s with each of my direct reports every four to six weeks?
Do I adjust the frequency of these reviews to meet the needs of each employee?
Have I identified and addressed any performance issues in my team?
Have I discussed and agreed a personal learning and development plan with all team members?
Are there contingency plans in place to cover my job when I am absent?
Do I know which of my direct reports would benefit from further coaching?
Do I know which of my direct reports would benefit from a stretch project or assignment?
Do I know which of my direct reports are considering further advancement?
Am I aware of my direct reports’ career aims and interests?
Am I aware of my direct reports’ strengths and motivations?