December 16, 2024 at 12 AMSome time ago, I was asked in an interview for an engineering manager position a very simple question:
How would you measure your team member's individual performance?
I know how the industry does it, and I know how my performance was measured, but I didn't like it, so I said something along the following lines:
We should focus on the outcome rather than any other aspect of performance because it simply can't be measured accurately.
However, the value is very simple to measure, and a good manager has an understanding of each of his team members without relying on any arbitrary number.
Of course, I was not taken seriously and was not even given a chance for the job.
The truth is, if you want to measure performance, no matter what, expect the following:
1. Burnouts in your team
2. Wrong expectations that growth is always linear
3. Teammates sabotaging each other
4. An unfair and absolutely biased way of promoting people
Measuring performance has completely the opposite effect of what its initial idea was.
Solution? Managers should play by ear! They should see themselves as the leaders they are supposed to be. Drop measuring individual performance. Instead, measure team outcomes and their contribution to the overall business goal.