In order to understand what someone does and whether they are in the right place and are the right person for the job, we must have information from more than one source. Traditional performance reviews assess an incumbent’s weak areas and might make recommendations for improvement, but they often do little to encourage meaningful development on the part of the individual. In order to have a meaningful assessment of what an employee does in a certain role, some employers are making the move to work portfolios rather than resumes, and multi-rater performance assessments such as a 360o review.

A work portfolio allows an employee to present examples of work they have done, just the way an artist does. Having the opportunity to review what someone has actually done can be much more meaningful than a description of generic keywords on a resume.

The multi-rater review is just what it sounds like: a performance review that is prepared with input from the complete range (hence 360 degrees) of people and services that the incumbent is responsible for.

Whichever system you use, you can create a quick reference that will assist you in objectively identifying the up-and-coming leaders. We have included a sample leadership quality assessment on the next page.